Ontario's government just sent a memo to stakeholders. So, of course, I have to talk about it. Two bills, two in effect dates, six changes to how landlord tenant law works in this province. I got it. I read it. I am breaking it down for you right now.

My name is Weiting and I am the CEO and co-founder of openroom.ca. We are a consumer reporting agency to make sure that we bring transparency to the data behind rental payments or non-payments. For my landlords, hear me out. Some of these changes are genuinely good news if you are self-managing a rental right now. One of them I have been waiting for a very long time.

Bill 97 and Bill 60

‍And one of them I think is actually going to surprise you. Two dates to remember. July 1st, 2026 and September 21st, 2026. Write them down. Before we get too into it, a little bit of a context here. These changes came from two bills. Bill 97 and Bill 60. Bill 97 passed back in June2023 and Bill 60 passed in November 2025. Both of them made changes to Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, otherwise known as the RTA, the law that governs every rental in the province of Ontario, Canada. The LTB, which stands for the Landlord and Tenant Board, Ontario's Housing Tribunal, is the one who enforces most of this.

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July 1st, 2026, there are 3 changes

‍Some of these changes have been sitting waiting for what's called a proclamation date for many years. They just got one. So, let's go through them. July 1st, 2026, there are three changes.

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Change #1 Air Conditioning

Starting July 1st, tenants in Ontario are explicitly allowed to install a window or portable AC unit if their landlord does not supply air conditioning as long as the installation is safe and secure. Interesting. Now, here's the part that affects landlords who pay electricity. If your tenancy agreement makes you responsible for supplying electricity to the unit, you may be allowed to charge the tenant a seasonal rent increase to cover the rent of added power cost.

So, if you're paying for hydro for your tenant and they install a window unit, you are not just stuck absorbing that cost all summer. There is a path to recover it. Details to watch for once the regulation drops.

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Change #2 Payment Agreements

If a landlord and tenant reaches a rent arears payment agreement, they now need to use the LTB's approved form to record it. Okay, this is actually pretty good hygiene. It's this one right here. I have seen so many informal payment plans that fall apart because nothing was inwriting on the right form. A napkin deal, a text thread of a payment plan is not evidence at the LTB hearing.

An LTB approved payment agreement is, and this formalizes the process so that it protects both sides. and then it'll allow you to take further enforcement actions.

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Change #3 The Fines

Maximum fines for offenses under the RTA are doubling. So, as an individual landlord who breaks the rules, you can now be fined up to $100,000. A corporation can be fined up to $500,000. This is important because sometimes you might have your rental unit under a corporation instead of you as an individual. So, be careful. These are the fines that could be for things like illegal lockouts, cutting off vital services, harassments. For good faith landlords, this does not change your life at all. But for the landlords who have been cutting corners and assuming the fines were not serious enough to worry about, be careful.

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‍September 21st, 2026, three more changes

All right, this is the blog that I want you to pay close attention to.

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Change #4 The N12 Compensation Rule

Right now, when a landlord serves an N12,that is the notice Ontario landlords use to end a tenancy for personal use of a particular unit, such as they want to move in or their daughter wants to move in, the law requires the landlord to pay the tenant one month's rent as compensation or offer them a comparable alternative rental.

But now, starting September 21st, there's a new path. If you give your tenant at least 120 days notice instead of the minimum 60, you no longer have to pay that 1 month's compensation. That's a pretty big deal.

So, if you genuinely want your unit back or need it back, you are moving in, a family member is moving in, then you can plan to go ahead and give your tenants more than four months notice instead of just the two that was originally planned. You save a month of rent in compensation for a $2,500 apartment. that is $2,500 back in your pocket just for serving the notice a little bit earlier.

To be very clear, the bad faith protections here are still unchanged. If you serve a 120day N12, but you do not move in or you re rent the unit or you sell it, your former tenant can still apply to the LTB and you still owe them significantly more than one month's renting damages if they win the bad faith eviction.

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Change #5: Renovation Notifications and The Right of First Refusal

This one is a tenant protection from Bill97 that I actually think is pretty fair. If you are evicting a tenant to do major repairs or renovations, what some people call a renovation, you now have additional notification requirements. You must give the tenant written notice of the estimated completion date of the work, any changes to that estimated date, and the final date the unit is ready for preoccupancy and you must give the tenant at least 60 days after the renovations are complete to move back in before you can rent to somebody else. The tenants application window to claim their right of first refusal is also being extended. Now they now have the later of 2 years from the day they vacated or 6 months after the renovations are complete. That is a pretty meaningful window if you ask me.

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Change #6: N4 Notice Period is Being Shortened from 14 days to now 7 days

This is the one that I have been waiting for. The N4 notice period is being shortened from 14 days to now 7 days. Some people are like, "Well, that's like insignificant." But to me, that is pretty significant. It'll speed up a little bit so that you can apply to the board faster. And besides, like seriously, stop complaining all the time, right? Let's just take what we can get.

So, the N4, the notice Ontario landlords serve when a tenant has not paid rent, has a 14-day notice since the RTA came into force. But starting September 21st for both fixed term and month-to-month tenancies, that drops to seven days. I used to sit there on day two of late trend thinking, I cannot even start to process this for another 12days. I have to wait. I have to keep waiting and waiting, waiting, waiting.

Every landlord who has been through a non-payment situation knows how that feels. You have to wait so long in a very, very long eviction process, but now it's a little bit faster. Seven days is pretty significant improvement. It does not fix everything. I know. I know the backlog at the LTB is still there, but you know what? It's a little bit forward. Little bit forward.

Two things I want you to know before we close. First, there are other changes in Bill 60 and Bill 97 that do not have confirmed dates yet. So, please don't action on it. For example, the 50% of rears deposit rule or the exparte eviction order changes or the persistent late payment definition. None of those are in effect as of this particular memo that was just sent out to us.

Do not assume that they are coming into effect July 1st or September 21st because they are not. If you are outside Ontario, these rules are Ontario only. Your province has its own version of all of this with different forms, different timelines, and a different tribunal with different laws that are being passed by government. So, ignore all of this if you don't have property in Ontario. So, quick recap here.

3 things that are happening in July 1st

·       Tenants can install AC

·       Payment plans need to be the LTB form

·       Fines are doubling

3 things that are coming out in September 21st

·      100 day N12 removes the compensation requirement

·       Renovation eviction notices get stricter

·       N4 drops to 7 days

Put those dates in your calendar, both of them, and then go to openroom.ca and make sure your next tenant is properly screened before any of these timelines ever become your problem. The best dispute is the one you never have. If you are an Ontario landlord who wants to stay on top of these changes, follow me for more.

I will keep watching the legislation and break down anything new the moment it drops.

• Bill 97 – Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023: The full text of Bill 97 from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which introduced changes to the RTA including tenant AC rights and renovation eviction rules.
• Bill 60 – Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025: The full text of Bill 60 from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the omnibus legislation that shortens the N4 notice period, modifies N12 compensation rules, and more.
• Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA): The governing legislation for all residential rentals in Ontario, enforced by the Landlord and Tenant Board.
• Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) – Forms, Filing & Fees: The official LTB page where landlords and tenants can access all forms, including the N4, N12, and Payment Agreement form.
• LTB Payment Agreement Form (PDF): The official LTB-approved form that landlords and tenants must now use to formalize rent arrears repayment plans.
• N4 – Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-Payment of Rent: The official LTB notice landlords serve when a tenant has not paid rent, which will drop from a 14-day to 7-day notice period on September 21, 2026.
• N12 – Notice to End Tenancy for Landlord's or Family Member's Own Use: The official LTB notice used when a landlord is reclaiming a unit for personal or family use, now with a new 120-day option to waive the one-month compensation requirement.
• Tribunals Ontario Portal: The online portal where landlords and tenants file all LTB applications, evidence, and requests.
• Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing - Official Memo: Notice of Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 Coming into Effect