Ran out of time on something at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB)? The Request to Extend Deadline asks the Board to accept it anyway. Landlords and tenants both use it, most often when a Request to Review an Order, a Request to Amend an Order or a motion such as the landlord's S3 comes in late. It helps only where the law lets the Board move the deadline in the first place.
The essentials
| Who files | Anyone who is a party to the LTB case: landlord, tenant or other |
| Timing | Right away, once you notice you are late or about to be |
| Its own deadline | None, but in most situations it has to travel with the late document |
| Filing routes | Tribunals Ontario Portal, [email protected], mail, courier or ServiceOntario |
| Cost | Not on the LTB fee list; the late document still costs whatever it costs |
| Next step | The late request, motion or application itself |
Where the power comes from
The Board's authority sits in section 190(2) of the RTA. It can lengthen or shorten its own time limits, except "the prescribed time requirements." Rule 16 of the Rules of Procedure handles the mechanics. Put it in writing. State why. File it as the Rules direct (Rule 16.1). If the Member says yes, your late paper is treated as received on your actual filing date (Rule 16.7).
Time limits you are allowed to ask about
| What was late | Normal limit | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Request to Review an Order | 15 days (orders dated July 1, 2026 or later); 30 days (older orders) | RTA s. 209(3); Rules 26.4–26.6 |
| Request to Amend an Order | 30 days | Rule 24.1 |
| Landlord's S3 motion (an eviction was voided and the landlord wants that undone) | 10 days after the voiding order | RTA s. 74(9) |
| Re-opening a mediated settlement | 1 year from signing | Rule 13.12 |
| Submissions or evidence the Board told you to send | Whatever the order or direction says | The order or direction |
| A landlord asking to review a municipal work order | 20 days | s. 226(1) |
| Mobile home assignment application | As set by statute | s. 159(2) |
That list comes from the official instructions and the Rules.
Off limits: prescribed deadlines
O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56 names time requirements the Board simply cannot touch. In day-to-day tenancy disputes, these are the ones that matter:
- Termination notice periods, every one of them. No extension repairs an N4, N5 or N12 that gave the tenant too few days.
- Application filing deadlines, nearly all. Section 190(1) makes only a handful of exceptions (AGI, s. 159(2), s. 226). The official instructions name the L3 and the L4 as filings whose time cannot be stretched.
- The 30 days under s. 206(6) for a landlord to bring back a s. 206 consent order once the tenant misses a payment.
- Rent increases: the 90-day notice and the 12-month rule.
Hit one of these and the request fails. Start over with a fresh notice, or find another route.
How the request has to be timed
Together, not separately. Rule 16.2 lists the cases: an S3, a tenant's set-aside motion, a request to amend or review, a work-order review, and the mobile-home application. For all of them, the extension request is filed at the same time as the late document, barring exceptional circumstances. For reviews, Interpretation Guideline 8 is stricter still: a time request sent without the review will not be looked at.
If you did file it alone and it succeeds, the Board gives you a date. File the document and pay any fee by then, or the document is rejected (Rule 16.3).
No second bite. A refused request cannot be repeated for that same deadline unless circumstances have changed significantly (Rule 16.6).
Are you even late? Check the arithmetic first. The Board counts calendar days, skipping the first day and including the last. A final day falling on a Saturday, Sunday or LTB holiday carries over to the following business day (Rules 1.12–1.14). Take a 10-day limit triggered on Wednesday, November 4, 2026: day ten is Saturday, November 14, so the real deadline is Monday, November 16. Something filed on the Monday is on time, no extension needed.
Working through the form (version 2026/07)
- Top of page: LTB file number, language, any accommodation.
- Requesting Party's Information: who you are and how to reach you (name, company, email, phone, mailing address, preferred delivery method for documents).
- Unit, Building or Complex: full address of the rental unit.
- "I am requesting that the LTB extend the deadline to...": five boxes. Tick the one for your late document (a review; an amendment; re-opening a case settled through mediation; setting aside an ex parte order; or "other"). An S3 is "other", with "S3" written in.
- Explain the reasons: the box that decides everything. Answer the Rule 16.4 factors in sequence. How many days late, and why, exactly? What happens to you if the Board refuses, and to the other party if it agrees? Can that harm be repaired? Why should the Board see you as acting in good faith? Anchor everything in dates and attach documents, such as proof the order was sent to an address that was not yours. Medical evidence works best when it names the condition, explains how it kept you from acting, and gives an expected recovery date. With a late review, the Member may also weigh whether the review has a real chance (Guideline 8).
- Signature: your role (landlord, landlord representative or other), your signature, the date. Legal representatives include an LSO number and contact information.
Filing
Cases on the Portal: file there. Otherwise you can email it ([email protected]), take it to a ServiceOntario location that accepts LTB filings, or post or courier it to the Board's Toronto address: 15 Grosvenor Street, Ground Floor, Toronto, ON M7A 2G6. A stand-alone extension request from a lawyer or paralegal has to go through the Portal, under the Practice Direction for licensees. If the late item is a review, follow the review's filing method, which is email plus the receipt from paying the fee online. A letter or email is acceptable under the instructions, provided it identifies the file number, which deadline, and why. The form is still the better choice.
What kills an extension request
- It targets a prescribed limit. Under O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56, no extension is possible for termination notice periods, most application deadlines or the s. 206(6) window.
- Only half the package arrived. Rule 16.2 wants them filed as a pair. For reviews, a lone time request is not even considered.
- The reason is weak. "Too busy" or "never read the order" rarely beats the other side's right to finality.
- No paper trail. Without supporting documents, the form warns, the request may be denied.
- Holding evidence back. Rule 16.6 allows another try only after a significant change, not to add reasons you could have given before.
- Using stale instructions. The January 2025 instructions still talk about 30 days for a review. Orders made from July 1, 2026 on carry a 15-day limit (RTA s. 209(3)).
- Delay on top of delay. Every day you wait makes the delay longer and your good faith harder to show.
When you are the other party
Landlord or tenant, if the other side files late and asks for more time, the Member can decide without asking you for submissions (Rule 16.5). Your best protection is knowing which deadlines are prescribed. If the late step depends on one of them, such as a notice period, the s. 206(6) window or most application filing deadlines, no extension is possible.
Outcome
The request goes to a Member, who often rules without inviting submissions from anyone else (Rule 16.5). You get "granted" or "denied", with reasons. Granted: your document is handled as though it arrived on the day you sent it. Denied: the usual deadline governs and the late filing is not accepted.
Recent changes
Bill 60 shortened the review deadline from 30 days to 15 as of July 1, 2026 (RTA s. 209(3)), and review deadlines are what this form is used for most. Rule 26.6 was updated to point to both the old and new review limits. The form is at version 2026/07, but the stand-alone instructions have not moved past January 2025.
Frequently asked questions
What does an extension request cost?
Nothing on the Board's fee schedule. The late filing keeps its own fee, so a review still costs $58.
The 30 days to bring an L4 have passed. Any way around that?
Not by extension. Per the instructions, filing time for an L3 or an L4 (s. 78) cannot be extended. Look instead at whether the original application can still be re-opened.
Is there a hard cut-off for being late?
None is set. The Member looks at the length of the delay, the reason for it, prejudice, good faith and other relevant factors. The longer and less explained the delay, the more likely a refusal.
Can my N4 get more time added?
No. The regulation (O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56) prescribes every termination notice period, so the Board cannot lengthen one. Serve a new notice that is correct.