When a municipal inspector writes up a rental property under Ontario's provincial maintenance standards, the landlord can push back with an L6, filed at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). Two things to know up front. The L6 reaches only provincial-standards work orders, never orders under a city's own property standards by-law. And the window is short: 20 days, counted from the date the order was issued.

Quick summary
Filed by A landlord whose property got a work order based on the prescribed (provincial) maintenance standards
Deadline Within 20 days of the issue date on the order
Filing routes Online payment plus email to [email protected]; mail; courier; ServiceOntario. The Portal does not accept it
Attach The work order itself
Fee $201
Service You deliver the application and Notice of Hearing to the municipality no later than 15 days before the hearing date
Possible results The order is confirmed, varied, rescinded or quashed

Where the provincial standards come from

O. Reg. 517/06 sets the provincial maintenance standards. Under RTA s. 224 they govern a residential complex in two cases:

  • the municipality has no property standards by-law covering that complex; or
  • a by-law covers it, but prescribed circumstances still bring in the provincial standards. A by-law limited to exteriors is the classic case: the provincial interior standards fill the gap (O. Reg. 517/06, s. 4).

The process usually begins with a tenant's complaint. The municipality then sends out an inspector (s. 224.1), and if that inspector sees a breach, a work order may follow. Section 225 lists what it must contain: the address, reasonable particulars of the work, a period for compliance, and how long you have to seek a Board review.

Section 226 gives a landlord who is "not satisfied with its terms" 20 days to apply. On that application the Board can:

  1. Confirm the order as written, or vary it, for instance by narrowing the work or giving more time.
  2. Rescind it where you have already done the work.
  3. Quash it.

Is the L6 your route?

Yes, if the provincial maintenance standards are the basis of the order and you are disputing whether the work is needed at all, how much is needed, or whether the deadline is workable. Also yes if the work is finished and you want the order rescinded.

No, if the order enforces a municipal property standards by-law. According to the L6 instructions, this form is off limits for every other type of work order. Here is a fast way to tell them apart. Section 225(2)(d) obliges a provincial-standards order to state your LTB review deadline. An order that instead directs you to a committee of council, or to another appeal body, does not belong at the LTB. Owners served with a by-law order have 14 days to appeal it, by registered mail, to the local property standards committee (Building Code Act, 1992, s. 15.3(1)).

No, if what you are facing is a tenant's maintenance application (T6) or a challenge to an AGI. Those run separately, though an unresolved work order can influence an AGI (RTA s. 126(12)).

For tenants: the work order frequently starts with your complaint, and you are named on the L6 as a party. You will get notice of the hearing. An order still outstanding may also matter if you bring a T6 or contest an AGI.

The clock

  • Day 20. Count 20 days after the date the order was issued (s. 226(1)). The issue date printed on the order controls; the date it reached you does not. Example: an order issued on November 2, 2026 must be challenged by November 22, 2026.
  • What counts is arrival. Under Rule 4.8, email is filed the day received, courier the next business day, and mail on the fifth day after mailing, not counting holidays. Posting the L6 near the deadline is a gamble.
  • Late filing. The Board has power under RTA s. 190(1) to give you more time. Your Request to Extend Time must accompany the late L6, in the same filing (Rule 16.2). In deciding, the Board weighs the length of the delay, the explanation for it, and prejudice to others (Rule 16.4).
  • Serving the municipality. The deadline is 15 days before the hearing. Within five days of serving, a Certificate of Service goes to the Board (Rules 5.10, 5.15).
  • The order's own deadline. The RTA is silent on whether filing an L6 freezes the order or buys extra compliance time, and the LTB has not issued guidance either. Assume the deadline still runs. Where more time is what you need, request a variation (s. 226(2)(a)) and raise it with the municipality too.

Completing the L6

The version in use is 01/04/2022. Print in capitals or type, fill circles completely, and leave irrelevant boxes empty. Field-by-field help is in the L6 instructions.

Part 1: General Information

Address of the Rental Unit Covered by This Application. Street, unit number, municipality and postal code. Abbreviate compass directions as NE, NW, SE or SW.

Landlord's Name and Address. Your name (and company, if one), mailing address, phone and email. If there are co-landlords, use a Schedule of Parties.

Tenant Names and Address. Whoever is in possession of the unit. Room is provided for two; anyone else goes on a Schedule of Parties. A separate mailing address is needed only if theirs differs.

Related Applications. Any open application about the unit, for example a tenant's T6, by file number.

Part 2: Reason for Your Application

Treat this as your whole argument on paper. Start by giving the order's number and issue date. After that, explain:

  • each item you dispute, with the reason: no breach of the standard, work already completed, or the method ordered is wrong;
  • the outcome you are asking for: quash, rescind, a narrower scope, or more time;
  • for a timing dispute, why the compliance period cannot be met and how long you actually need (permits, contractor schedules, weather-dependent work).

Attach more pages when needed.

Part 3: Signature

Pick "Landlord" or "Legal Representative", then sign with the date. A representative also supplies a name, Law Society number and contact information.

Payment Information Form

Mark how you are paying, and if you paid online, write the receipt number.

Filing with the Board

Include a copy of the work order with the L6. The instructions say an application without it will be refused.

Email: the $201 is paid by Visa or Mastercard (credit or debit) through the Online Payment for Tribunal Applications page. No later than 24 hours afterward, send the L6, a copy of the order and your receipt by email to [email protected], with the receipt number and unit address as the subject.

Mail or courier: a money order or certified cheque made out to the "Minister of Finance", or card payment on the Credit Card Payment Form.

ServiceOntario: hand it in at a location that accepts LTB filings.

The fee is not refunded (see the LTB fees page). You may ask for a fee waiver with the Fee Waiver Request.

What sinks an L6

  1. Filing after day 20 without an extension request in the same package. The L6 is out of time, and sending the request separately afterward runs against Rule 16.2.
  2. Trying to review a by-law order. The Board lacks authority over it under s. 226, and the L6 gets dismissed.
  3. Forgetting the work order. It is a required inclusion. No copy, no acceptance.
  4. A Part 2 that just says "I disagree". Without specifics there is nothing to vary. Back each disputed item with evidence such as photographs, quotes or reports from contractors, and permit timelines.
  5. Skipping service on the municipality. The municipality must be served 15 days before the hearing at the latest (Rule 5.10). Failed service can lead to an adjournment or a dismissal (Rule 5.17).
  6. Letting the compliance date slide. Disobeying a work order is an offence under RTA s. 234, and an open order can hurt you on a tenant's T6 or an AGI.

After filing

A Notice of Hearing comes from the Board. Serve it, with the L6, on the municipality, then file proof of that service. Bring evidence about the condition and any work done to the hearing. The resulting order confirms, varies, rescinds or quashes the work order. For orders dated July 1, 2026 or later, any party has 15 days to request a review (Rule 26.5).

Common questions

How many days do I get to contest a provincial work order?

You get 20 days after the order's issue date. An extension is possible, but only if you file the extension request together with the L6.

Does the L6 work for a municipal by-law order?

No. Only orders made under O. Reg. 517/06, the provincial maintenance standards, can be reviewed on an L6. A by-law order is challenged however that by-law, and the order itself, say.

What outcomes are possible?

The Board may leave the order as is, change it (different work or more time), rescind it because you have already complied, or quash it entirely.

Official sources