Paid in Full on an L1? Getting an LTB Discontinuance Order

An Ontario tenant facing an L1 can stop it by paying everything owed before the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) makes an eviction order. When that happens, the landlord files the Request for a Discontinuance Order Without a Hearing to wrap the case up. The form comes with a draft order attached; complete both and a Member usually signs off on paper, so neither side needs to appear. Its instructions call it something slightly different, the Request for Ex Parte Discontinuance Order.

Quick reference

The rule in s. 74(2)

The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) is direct about this. An L1 that rests on an N4 shall be discontinued where the Board is satisfied, before it issues the eviction order, that the tenant has paid the landlord or the Board three things:

• every dollar of rent in arrears;
• the extra rent that would have fallen due by the payment date had no termination notice been given; and
• the fee the landlord paid to file.

From that point, the application cannot be used to evict, even if the tenant later misses rent again. By signing the form, the landlord declares that the money was paid, which lets a Member make the s. 74(2) order on paper.

If the tenant puts the money into the LTB rather than paying the landlord, the landlord files nothing at all. Under Rule 20.1, the Board itself releases the funds to the landlord and ends the case.

Is this the right form?

Yes, when the full s. 74(2) amount went straight to the landlord at some point between filing the L1 and the issuing of an order.

No, in these cases:

• Only some of the money came in. Partial payment does not end the L1; it just changes the numbers. Report the new balance on the L1/L9 Information Update.
• An eviction order already exists. Paying now raises voiding under s. 74(4), with its own steps and its own total.
• The case is an L2 or an L9. This form covers L1s only. Other applications are dropped with the Request to Withdraw an Application.

Picking the right date

You are asked for a "period ending on" date: the point through which the payment covers all the rent. Per the instructions, that is the final day of the rental period during which the tenant paid. Two illustrations:

• Calendar-month rent, due on the 1st. Paid May 18? Enter May 31.
• Rent periods that straddle months, say the 20th of one month to the 19th of the next. Payment arrives June 3, which falls in the May 20 to June 19 period, so the date is June 19.

A fuller example. Monthly rent is $1,450, and October, November and December 2026 went unpaid, so the arrears are $4,350. The landlord paid a $186 fee to file the L1. On January 12, 2027, the tenant pays $5,986: the $4,350 in arrears, January's $1,450 and the $186 fee. That discontinues the L1, and the period ends January 31, 2027.

Completing both halves of the PDF

The instructions are firm that the fillable fields must be completed in both parts.

Part one: the request

1. Identify yourself as the L1 applicant (or its legal representative) and write in the file number of the L1.
2. Insert the discontinuance date from the section above. By completing this paragraph you also state that the tenant has paid the arrears, all the new rent that came due, and the fee.
3. The solemn declaration: you swear the contents are true, and you acknowledge that handing false or misleading documents to the Board is an offence.
4. Choose Landlord or Landlord Representative. Print the declarant's name, sign, and date it (dd/mm/yyyy).

Part two: the s. 74(2) order

5. Transfer the case details from the L1 word for word: file number, unit address, the landlord, and each tenant.
6. Paragraph 1 takes the same "period ending on" date you gave in the request.
7. Two lines are not yours: "Date Issued" and "Member, Landlord and Tenant Board." Leave them for the Member.

Sending it

The LTB's forms page names the Tribunals Ontario Portal as the filing channel. For lawyers and paralegals, the Portal is required, and a copy sent any other way will not be processed. No fee is charged. A complete, accurate request is normally turned into an order without a hearing, and the Board sends it to all parties.

Six things that stall or sink the request

1. Declaring payment before the funds clear. If the cheque or transfer bounces, your declaration was untrue and you have shut your own case.
2. A wrong date. Entering the payment day instead of the period's last day, or a date the dollar figures cannot support, means the request no longer lines up with s. 74(2).
3. Botching the order page. Leaving it empty is a problem; so is filling in the Member's lines. The landlord completes the order fields and leaves those two lines untouched.
4. Settling for less. No fee, or no rent for the current period, means no discontinuance in law. Sign anyway and you have given up a case that was still alive.
5. Mismatched details. Your draft becomes the order, so a typo in the file number or a name that does not match the L1 is copied straight into it.
6. Using it once an eviction order exists. That situation belongs to s. 74(4) voiding.

What it means for the tenant

If you are the tenant, s. 74(2) is your route to ending the L1 without a hearing. You need to pay the full arrears, the rent that has come due up to the day you pay, and the landlord's filing fee, and you must do it before an eviction order is issued. You can pay the landlord, or pay the LTB, in which case the Board handles the payout and discontinues the case under Rule 20.1. NSF charges are not part of the s. 74(2) amount. Keep proof of exactly what you paid and when.

After it is filed

With a clean request, the Member signs, there is no hearing, and the case ends. If arrears build up again down the road, the landlord's starting point is a brand-new N4.

Recent changes

Section 74(2) itself was untouched by Bill 60. The N4 was not: one given on or after September 21, 2026 provides 7 days' notice instead of 14, and the N4 and the L1 were both updated on that date. From November 30, 2026, older versions of the L1 will not be accepted. The LTB's announcement does not include the N4 in that cut-off, so just use the current N4. The sample on the discontinuance form still speaks of "15 days after" an N4, because it predates the new notice period.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly stops an L1?

Payment, to the landlord or to the LTB, of three amounts: the arrears, any rent that has since come due up to the payment date, and the landlord's filing fee. It must happen before an eviction order is made (RTA s. 74(2)).

Will anyone have to attend a hearing?

Normally no, provided the request is filled in completely and correctly.

Are NSF fees part of what must be paid?

No. They are not in s. 74(2). NSF charges matter only for voiding an order under s. 74(4).

The tenant paid the money to the Board. What does the landlord file?

Nothing. Rule 20.1 has the LTB pay the required amount out to the landlord and discontinue the application without any filing.

Official sources

• Request for a Discontinuance Order Without a Hearing (form and instructions)
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, s. 74
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rule 20
• Practice Direction Requiring Law Society Licensees to use TOP
• LTB Forms, filing and fees