What an N4 actually is
The N4 is the LTB form called Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent. It tells the tenant three things: how much rent is owed and for which periods, the date by which they can pay to cancel the notice, and that if they do not pay you may apply to the LTB to end the tenancy.
Two things it is not. It is not an eviction: only the LTB can order a tenant out, and only a sheriff can enforce that order. And it is not a demand letter: it is a formal notice with fixed rules about what goes on it and how it is delivered. A friendly reminder on day one and a firmer one on day three are good practice, but they are not an N4 and they do not start the clock.
This is general information, not legal advice. The rules come from Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act and the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). For the current forms and guidance see tribunalsontario.ca/ltb, and speak to a lawyer or paralegal about your own situation.
When you can serve it
You can serve an N4 the day after rent was due and was not paid in full. If rent is due on the 1st and it has not arrived by the end of the 1st, the 2nd is the first day you can serve. You do not have to wait, and you do not have to serve at all: many landlords give a tenant a few days and a phone call first, because most late rent is a missed transfer, not a refusal.
The notice has to show the exact rent owed, period by period, using the rent that is lawfully charged. If your ledger says the tenant owes $1,850 for September and the form says $1,900, or lumps in a late fee or a utility bill, the notice can be thrown out at the hearing. Only rent goes on an N4.
Serve it the way the LTB allows: handing it to the tenant, leaving it in the unit's mailbox or under the door, or mailing it. Mail adds days before the notice counts as received, which pushes the termination date later, so check the LTB's service rules before you count.
The termination date: 14 days, then 7
The termination date on the N4 is the date by which the tenant must pay in full to void the notice. The rule that sets it is changing.
- For an N4 served before September 21, 2026, the termination date must be at least 14 days after the day the tenant receives the notice.
- For an N4 served on or after September 21, 2026 (2026-09-21), it must be at least 7 days after.
For example: an N4 handed to the tenant on September 10, 2026 can have a termination date no earlier than September 24. The same notice handed over on September 22 can have a termination date no earlier than September 29. KeyToRental applies the 7-day rule from September 21, 2026 — confirm the current LTB guidance before serving.
Count in calendar days, not business days, and count from the day the notice is received rather than the day you wrote it. If you mail it, add the LTB's mailing days first. A date that is one day too early makes the whole notice invalid, and you start again.
What the tenant can do
The tenant can pay everything the notice says is owed on or before the termination date. If they do, the notice is void and the tenancy continues as if nothing happened. You cannot refuse the payment and proceed anyway.
They can also pay part of it, or nothing. Then the notice stands, and after the termination date you may file an application with the LTB (the L1) to end the tenancy and collect the arrears. Even at that stage the tenant can usually stop the eviction by paying everything owed, including what came due in the meantime, before the order is enforced.
After the termination date
If the arrears are not paid by the termination date, nothing happens automatically. The tenant does not have to leave. Your next step is to file the L1 application with the LTB, pay the filing fee and wait for a hearing. The N4 has a shelf life: if you wait too long after the termination date the notice expires and you would need to serve a new one, so check the current limit before you sit on it.
Keep every record: the ledger showing what was due and what was paid, the copy of the N4, and a certificate of service saying how and when you served it. The hearing is decided on paper.
How KeyToRental handles late rent and the N4
KeyToRental tracks rent as it arrives by Interac e-Transfer, so the ledger the N4 is built from is the real one. When a payment is late, you are asked the day after the due date whether it was paid some other way, such as cash. An automatic reminder email to the tenant is available if you turn it on, and you can start an AI reminder call from day 4. If rent is still owing on day 5, the N4 is prepared from the ledger for you to review; nothing is sent to the tenant.
The N4 preparation fills the LTB form from the ledger, works out the termination date using the rule for the service date you choose, and gives you the PDF. You print it, sign it and serve it, and you file with the LTB. The product prepares the paperwork; it does not serve notices or file applications on your behalf, and it will not decide for you whether to serve at all.