Form T2 is the vehicle for a tenant, past or present, who says a landlord, superintendent or agent trampled rights guaranteed by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA). It is filed with Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB). The usual allegations: someone came in without proper notice, the locks were changed, heat or water was cut off, the tenant was harassed, or ongoing disruption ruined the tenant's enjoyment of the unit. Records usually decide these cases, so both sides should start gathering theirs early.

In brief
Applicant A tenant, or someone who used to be one; the respondent is the landlord plus any named superintendent or agent
Timing Any point after the events, in occupation or after moving
Limitation One year from the conduct; ongoing conduct is measured from the day it stopped
Filing and service Filed with the Board, which serves the landlord with the application and the Notice of Hearing
Fee $48 through the Portal; $53 by other routes
Afterwards A Request to Review an Order (15 days) for a party who disputes the result

Grounds a T2 can raise

Section 29(1) lists what a T2 can target:

Conduct RTA section
Cutting off, or deliberately disrupting, food, care services or a vital service the landlord must supply s. 21
Seriously undermining the tenant's (or household's) reasonable enjoyment of the unit or building s. 22
Threats, coercion, obstruction, harassment or other interference aimed at the tenant s. 23
New locks, no new keys s. 24
Unlawful entry ss. 26–27

The form tacks on two more:

  • following a Sheriff's eviction, denying the ex-tenant the 72 hours the law gives to remove their things (s. 41(3)); and
  • in a care home, failing to hand the tenant a written agreement that spells out meals and care services (s. 140).

The vital services are electricity, fuel, gas, hot and cold water, and, in the heating season of September 1 through June 15, heat. Complaints about maintenance and repair under s. 20 are not T2 material; they go on a T6.

Choosing the right application

Use the T2 for behaviour. Other problems have their own forms:

  • money the landlord took or kept: T1;
  • disrepair: T6;
  • a bad-faith N12 or N13 after moving out: T5.

Alternatively, a tenant defending an L1 may raise the same complaints in that case under s. 82, if its conditions are satisfied, and s. 87(2) carries that over to L9 and L10 rent claims. Where the landlord's application was filed September 21, 2026 or later, the conditions include paying half of what the landlord claims (Rule 19.4). More on this: Issues a Tenant Intends to Raise.

The entry rules a T2 is judged by

Situation What the law allows
No written notice (s. 26) Emergencies; consent given on the spot; pre-arranged cleaning; and viewings by prospective renters after a termination notice exists, during daytime hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.), once the landlord has reasonably tried to tell the tenant
With written notice (s. 27) A day's warning at minimum, in writing, stating why, which day, and a daytime window (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.), for a purpose permitted by s. 27

Time limits

The one-year rule (s. 29(2)). An application can't be brought more than a year after the conduct. For a one-off event, such as an entry without notice on March 4, 2026, the last day to apply is March 4, 2027. For a continuing problem (say, no heat for a month), Guideline 6 measures the year from when it ended.

How far back an abatement goes. Guideline 6, relying on Toronto Community Housing Corp. v. Vlahovich, limits any rent abatement to the twelve months before filing, however long the problem lasted.

Urgent hearings. Lockout cases: serve two days (48 hours) ahead or earlier (Rule 5.3). Post-eviction property access cases: serve five days ahead or earlier (Rule 5.4).

Disclosure. Rules 19.1–19.2: a week before the hearing for your own evidence, five days before for anything answering the other side's, copied to the Board and every party.

Walking through the form

The current T2 is version 01/04/2022.

Part 1 – General Information. Address; tenant names; landlord; superintendent or agent if named (via a Schedule of Parties); move-in date and any move-out date; numbers of related files.

Part 2 – Reasons. Seven reasons, shade any that apply:

  1. illegal entry;
  2. locks changed with no keys provided;
  3. substantial interference;
  4. harassment, coercion, obstruction or threats;
  5. vital services, care services or meals withheld;
  6. no 72 hours to retrieve property after an eviction;
  7. a care home agreement that is missing or incomplete.

Each reason has space for who was involved, when, and what happened. Approximate dates are fine if they are marked as approximate.

Part 3 – Remedies. Pick from eleven: rent abatement (1); a stop order (2); an LTB fine (3); terminating the tenancy (4); paying for damaged belongings (5); twelve months of rent difference (6); moving and storage (7); other expenses (8); re-entry after a lockout (9); getting property back after a Sheriff's eviction (10); anything else (11). A claim resting solely on the 72-hour ground is limited to numbers 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 and 11. A claim resting solely on the care home agreement can get an abatement and nothing else.

Part 4 – Signature. Accommodation and French-language requests follow, then payment.

Filing

Four routes: the Portal ($48), or post, courier or a ServiceOntario centre accepting LTB filings ($53). Unpaid and unwaived, it goes nowhere. Under Rule 5.1 the Board delivers the Notice of Hearing and application to the landlord; from then on the parties exchange evidence between themselves.

Getting ready: both sides

If you are the tenant

  • Write a timeline. Date, people, events, for each incident. Strike out anything wrapped up over a year before your filing date.
  • Keep the paper trail. Notices of entry (or the lack of them), texts, emails, letters, photos, utility notices, receipts for costs you paid.
  • Pick remedies that fit. Claims based only on the 72-hour or care home grounds have restricted remedies (see Part 3).

If you are the landlord

  1. Date every allegation. Note the end date of each alleged incident; s. 29(2) knocks out those that ended over a year before filing.

  2. Collect evidence ground by ground. - Entry. Every 24-hour notice of entry, plus how and when it was served; emergency calls and work orders; messages showing the tenant agreed. - Locks. When the locks changed, why, and proof keys were offered or handed over. - Vital services. Utility bills, any disconnection notices, service call records, and repair invoices that show how fast service came back. From September 1 to June 15, heat must meet the minimum in O. Reg. 516/06, s. 4. - Work-related disruption. Complaints about capital work, repairs or maintenance bring in O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8. Satisfy all of the s. 8(4) conditions and no abatement can be ordered. In outline:

    • the tenant received written warning 60 days ahead (in an emergency, as early as was reasonable) explaining what work, what impact, and for how long, updated when plans shifted;
    • the work was a listed type, such as protecting the building's physical integrity, meeting legal standards, maintaining building systems, improving accessibility, conserving energy or water, or improving security;
    • any building permit needed was issued; and
    • the work happened at reasonable or by-law-permitted hours, lasted a reasonable time, and reasonable steps were taken to keep the noise down.

    File away the permit, the contractor timetable and a copy of the notice. - Harassment. Every text, email and letter sent to the tenant by you or your staff. Both the context and the tone will be looked at. 3. Disclose on time. Evidence that comes in late can be excluded (Rule 19.7). 4. Know what is at stake. Section 31(1) lets the Board: - order an abatement; - order the conduct to stop; - award the tenant's property losses and out-of-pocket expenses; - levy an administrative fine capped at the larger of $10,000 and Small Claims Court's monetary jurisdiction; - end the tenancy; or - make any other order it thinks appropriate.

If the conduct pushed the tenant to move out, a year's rent differential and moving costs can be added (s. 31(2)). After an illegal lockout from a unit that is still vacant, the tenant can be ordered back in (s. 31(3)). 5. Settle on the record. A harassment claim, once filed, can't be withdrawn by the tenant without the consent of a Member or a Dispute Resolution Officer (Rule 17.2). If the two sides agree on terms, put the settlement before the Board instead of counting on a private withdrawal.

Where T2 claims fail

  1. Old conduct. Section 29(2) bars anything more than a year old, and abatements don't reach behind the one-year line either.
  2. The wrong form. A T2 describing nothing but disrepair belongs on a T6, and a money-only claim on a T1; filed as a T2, it may fail.
  3. The entry was lawful. Proper written notice for a purpose in s. 27, or one of the no-notice cases in s. 26, means the entry was legal.
  4. Everyday annoyance isn't "substantial". O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8(3)(b): disruption from the landlord's work is substantial only where it was unreasonable given the circumstances.
  5. No details. Without names, dates and a narrative, the landlord can't respond and the tenant can't prove much.
  6. No fee, no waiver. Not accepted.

After filing

A hearing is scheduled; mediation may come first. A successful tenant gets an order setting out remedies, and ignoring an order to cease prohibited conduct is itself an offence. Orders dated July 1, 2026 or later can be reviewed on a request filed within 15 days (Rule 26.5); a legal-question appeal to Divisional Court has a 30-day limit (s. 210).

Recent changes

Neither the T2 form (2022) nor its instructions (August 2023) have been reissued. Since July 1, 2026, RTA s. 36.1 lets tenants install portable or window air conditioning units, subject to its conditions, and Guideline 6 has been updated to address them. Also from July 1, 2026, the deadline to request a review fell from 30 days to 15 for orders issued on or after that date.

FAQ

What is landlord harassment in Ontario?

The RTA leaves it undefined. Section 23 bans threats, coercion, harassment, obstruction and interference by a landlord. How the Board applies that is discussed in Guideline 6; outcomes depend on the facts of each case.

Can the landlord be fined?

Yes. Section 31(1)(d) authorizes a fine payable to the LTB, with a ceiling equal to the greater of $10,000 and the Small Claims Court limit.

Is it illegal entry if the landlord came in to do repairs?

No, provided the landlord gave a day's written notice listing the purpose, the date and a daytime window from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (s. 27), or there was an emergency or on-the-spot consent (s. 26).

Official sources