Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) usually records its hearings, and this one-page form is how you buy a copy. Landlords and tenants order it for the same reasons: to build a Request to Review an Order, to pin down exactly what someone said or agreed to, or to have a transcript typed up. It costs $16.15. Be warned, though: a recording is not guaranteed to exist.
Quick reference
| Who can ask | Parties, under Rule 7.10, and non-parties ticking "Other" on the form |
| When | Any time after the hearing |
| How long you have | Unclear: the instructions say ten years after the hearing date, Rule 7.10 says seven years after the file closed |
| Filing | [email protected] plus online receipt, or post, courier, ServiceOntario |
| Fee | $16.15, refunded if nothing was recorded |
| Next form | None |
What you are paying for
Nothing in the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 says hearings must be recorded. Even so, the instructions describe LTB proceedings as ones that "are usually recorded". Rule 7.10 treats a recording as part of the record and lets any party have a copy for the fee. In practice, the Board searches for the hearing, tells you whether it was recorded, and sends a copy if it was. It will not vouch that a recording exists or that it is clear. Expect an MP4 for anything recent. Older hearings might be in WMA, M4A or MP3 format.
Good reasons to order one, and bad ones
Order it if:
- A review is on the table. To argue in a Request to Review an Order that something went wrong at the hearing, you need to show what happened. Since July 1, 2026 a review must be requested within 15 days rather than 30, so put the recording order in right away.
- A settlement or consent was read into the record and the parties now disagree about its wording.
- You want a transcript. Hand the audio to a court reporter, who can type it up.
Don't use it for:
- Copies of documents in the file. Paper copies are billed at $0.54 a page (listed among "Other fees") and handled as a records request, not with this form.
- Permission to record the hearing yourself. Rule 7.12 covers that. The Board must authorize it, under s. 29 of the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, and the ask has to come before the hearing opens. Rule 7.11 is different again: on notice, a party may hire a court reporter and pay for it.
Time limits and turnaround
Retention: two sources, two answers. On the form and in the instructions, the window is a decade measured from the hearing, with erasure after that. The current Rule 7.10 instead sets seven years measured from file closure. Different lengths, different starting points: don't bet on either. Order promptly.
Turnaround. The Board's stated aim is two weeks (it will "endeavor" to meet it) for hearings that were recorded. Delays happen. Do the math against the 15-day review deadline: an order issued on Tuesday, March 2, 2027 has a review deadline of Wednesday, March 17. If your recording arrives on March 18, it is too late to help, so file the review on time and don't wait for the audio.
Download window. An emailed link works for 30 days after you receive it.
Completing the form
Section 1 – Requester's Information. Choose a role box (four options, from Landlord to Other) and fill in name, address and phone. The most important line is the email address where the recording should go. Leave it blank and the recording arrives on a USB stick by mail.
Section 2 – Hearing Information. - File Number(s). Combined hearings mean every linked file number goes here. - Hearing Date(s) and Time(s). List each day (and time) you need audio for. - Hearing Location / Video Conference No. Where it happened, or the video link number.
Section 3 – Recording Fee. Show how you are paying: - Online Payment, giving the receipt number (for email filings); - Money Order or Certified Cheque, made out to the Minister of Finance; or - Credit Card, with the LTB Credit Card Payment Form enclosed (for mail or courier filings).
Section 4 – Signature, plus the date in dd/mm/yyyy.
Paying and sending it
| Route | How |
|---|---|
| Settle the $16.15 online first. Then email [email protected] with two attachments, the completed form and your receipt. Typing a card number into the email gets the whole message deleted | |
| Mail or courier | Include payment: money order, certified cheque, or a filled-in Credit Card Payment Form. This option appears on the forms page and in the instructions; office addresses are on the LTB contact page |
| ServiceOntario | Choose a centre that handles LTB filings. Pay however you like: debit, cash, credit, money order or certified cheque |
If money is tight and you are an individual, see the Fee Waiver Request.
Pitfalls
- Ordering too late to help a review. The 15-day review clock keeps running while you wait.
- Leaving off a related file. Picture a tenant's T2 joined with the landlord's L1. Give the Board both file numbers; give it one and staff may pull the wrong day.
- The wrong date. Staff look things up by date and file. A matter adjourned two or three times has two or three sittings; specify each.
- Card details in the email. Deleted, never processed.
- A dead link. It expires on day 30. Switch to folder view and press the download arrow, because, as the instructions point out, the preview player has no save option.
- Counting on a recording that may not exist. A missing recording means a refund, nothing more. Fall back on your notes, the order itself, or other proof.
After you send it
Recorded hearing: watch for a pair of emails, link in one and password in the other, and save the file before 30 days pass. No email on the form: a USB flash drive is posted to you. No recording at all: the payment comes back to you.
FAQ
What's the fee?
$16.15, consistently across the fee schedule, the instructions and the form.
How quickly does it arrive?
Two weeks is the target for recorded hearings; it isn't a guarantee.
How far back can I go?
The instructions say a decade after the hearing; Rule 7.10 says seven years after file closure. Don't wait to find out which is applied.
Does the LTB produce written transcripts?
It only provides audio. To get text, Rule 7.11 lets you engage a court reporter, at your expense. Any transcript relied on at a hearing must be shared, complete, with the Board and all other parties.