Filing almost anything at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) costs money, and the price changes with the form and the filing method. Landlords get a discount for using the Tribunals Ontario Portal; tenants pay less across the board, and a few steps are free for everyone. Below are the fees as listed on Tribunals Ontario's fees page, the accepted ways to pay, when the other party can be ordered to cover your fee, and the fee waiver test.
The short version
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Typical landlord application (L1, L2, L3, L9, L10)? | $201, dropping to $186 when filed on the Portal |
| L4? | Costs nothing through the Portal |
| L5 above-guideline increase? | Base $233 (ten units), $10 more per unit after that, never above $1,000 |
| Common tenant applications (T1, T2, T5, T6)? | $48 on the Portal, $53 otherwise |
| Asking for a review of an order? | $58 |
| Refunds? | Not available, apart from narrow review-related cases |
| Can the winner recover the fee? | Yes, the LTB may order the other side to pay it |
| Fee waiver? | Possible for a person (not a company) on certain benefits or with low household income |
Landlord applications
| Form | Purpose | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | Arrears plus eviction for non-payment | $186 Portal / $201 otherwise |
| L2 | Termination and eviction on other grounds, or money | $186 Portal / $201 otherwise |
| L3 | Tenant gave notice or agreed to leave | $186 Portal / $201 otherwise |
| L9 | Rent owing, tenancy continues | $186 Portal / $201 otherwise |
| L10 | Money owed by a former tenant | $186 Portal / $201 otherwise |
| L4 | Tenant broke a settlement or order condition | $0 on the Portal |
| L5 | Increase above the guideline | First ten units $233; each additional unit $10; total capped at $1,000 |
| L6, L7, L8 | Other landlord applications | $201 |
| A1 | Ruling on whether the RTA covers the unit | $53 |
| A2 / A4 | Sublet or assignment / varying a rent reduction (landlord filing) | $201 |
| S3 | Motion to set aside an order voiding an eviction | $0 |
| Review request | Asking the Board to review an order | $58 |
The Portal price exists only for what the Portal accepts, which is six landlord forms (L1, L2, L3, L4, L9, L10). How the system works is covered in the Tribunals Ontario Portal guide.
What tenants pay
Tenants filing their own applications pay much less, and landlords who are responding should know these numbers when talking settlement.
| Form | Cost |
|---|---|
| T1, T2, T5, T6 | $48 on the Portal; $53 by other routes |
| T3, T4, T7, plus A1, A2 and A4 when a tenant files | $53 |
| Application by several tenants together | $53 for the first unit, $5 for each more, $450 maximum. The fees section requires mail or courier filing, even though the forms list links the multi-tenant Schedule of Parties to the Portal |
| Review request | $58 |
| Motions: setting aside an ex parte order, or voiding an eviction order made for arrears | $0 |
Copies, recordings and other charges
| Item | Charge |
|---|---|
| Pages copied from the file, on paper or electronically | $0.54 each |
| Certified order copies | A party's first mailed copy is free; $6.72 for every extra one |
| Searching for orders or records | Free for 2 hours; then $8.07 per 15 minutes |
| Hearing recording | $16.15 |
| LTB Rules and Guidelines copy, or a CD of L5 supporting material | $5.38 |
| Free items | Blank forms, instructions, written reasons, swearing an affidavit |
| Witnesses | The party issuing the summons pays them |
What a summonsed witness receives comes from the civil courts' Tariff A (Rules of Civil Procedure), copied into the LTB Rules as Appendix A: $50 per attendance day, travel costs, and $75 for each necessary overnight stay.
Paying the fee
Accepted payment varies by filing channel.
| Method | Accepted for |
|---|---|
| Visa or Mastercard (credit) | Portal; ServiceOntario; email filings (paid online beforehand); paper filings by mail or courier with the card payment form |
| Visa Debit | Portal; ServiceOntario; online payment page for emailed filings |
| Debit Mastercard | Portal; ServiceOntario; the email-filing steps list it for online payment too |
| Money order or certified cheque, payable to "Minister of Finance" | Paper filings by courier or mail, or at ServiceOntario |
| Cash | ServiceOntario counters only |
Email filings. The emailed group is the L6, L7 and L8, the three A applications (A1, A2, A4), review requests and requests for hearing recordings. For these, pay first through the Online Payment for Tribunal Applications page. Then send both the application and the receipt to [email protected], quoting the 7-digit receipt number and the unit's address in the subject. Fail to send it within 24 hours of paying and the payment is refunded. For an emailed L5 the order flips: application first, then the Board sends a secure payment link good for three calendar days.
Never email or fax card numbers. Applications that include them are deleted unprocessed, and under Rule 4.2 an email with payment details is refused.
Refunds: almost never
Tribunals Ontario's fees page says LTB fees cannot be refunded. If an application is refused or dismissed, for example because the notice was defective or the application was filed too soon, the second attempt costs a second fee. Getting the notice and the filing date correct the first time saves real money.
The exceptions are small:
- The review fee. Section 182 of the RTA allows the $58 to be refunded where the LTB varies, suspends or cancels the order under review.
- An emailed application that never arrives. As noted above, an online payment is refunded if the application does not follow within 24 hours.
No refund either when an application is discontinued over money the applicant already owes the Board, such as an unpaid fine, fee or costs (Rule 6.5).
Making the other side pay
Under Rule 23.1, a successful party may ask that the other side reimburse the fee as costs. With an L1, the fee is part of the price of stopping the case. Before any order issues, paying arrears, any further rent now due, and the fee discontinues the application (RTA s. 74(2)). To void an eviction order before it becomes enforceable, the tenant pays everything the order lists, costs included (s. 74(4)). One trap for landlords: Rule 10.3 lets the Board withhold the fee on an L1 or L9 where the L1/L9 Information Update came late.
Fee waivers for low-income individuals
Section 181.1 of the RTA lets the Board waive or postpone fees for people with low incomes, following its Rules. Rule 2 and the Practice Direction on Fee Waiver hold the test.
Who may apply. Individuals only: a party, or someone directly affected by an application. Businesses and organizations cannot get one, which rules out corporate landlords.
The income test. There are two ways in. First, your household's main income is a listed benefit: Ontario Works, ODSP (the Ontario Disability Support Program), OAS together with GIS, War Veterans' Allowance, or CPP. Second, total household income before deductions is under the monthly limit for your household size:
| Household size | Monthly gross income must be under |
|---|---|
| One | $1,650 |
| Two | $2,475 |
| Three | $2,840 |
| Four | $3,390 |
| Five or more | $3,940 |
Count yourself, a spouse, and children who depend on you. The Board may ask to see financial records.
Applying. The Fee Waiver Request has three parts, the last being a declaration; complete every one and place the form at the front of what you are filing. It is filed by mail, courier or at ServiceOntario per the LTB's listing, though a client's lawyer or paralegal may do it on the Portal (Rule 2.1). Asking is free. A refused request means paying within three business days of the LTB's contact, or the application will not be processed. If approved, all later LTB fees in that file are waived too.
Section 234 of the RTA makes a false statement on the form an offence.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fee for an L1?
$186 if it goes through the Tribunals Ontario Portal; $201 by mail, courier or at ServiceOntario.
Is there a charge for an N4 or N12?
No. Those are served on the tenant, not filed, and the forms are free. You pay when the L1 or L2 is filed.
Is the fee returned if the case is dismissed?
Usually not; LTB fees are not refundable. The one exception is the review fee, returned if the reviewed order is changed, suspended or set aside.
Can a landlord get a waiver?
Individual landlords who pass the income test can be. Corporations and other organizations cannot.
How much does the sheriff charge to carry out an eviction?
That is charged by the court's enforcement office, not the LTB; details are in the Enforcement Office guide.