Ontario N4 Void Period: How Tenants Can Cure Arrears and Stop Eviction

What the N4 Void Period Actually Means

When a landlord serves a Form N4 for non-payment of rent in Ontario, the tenant does not have to pack up and leave. Section 59(2) of the Residential Tenancies Act gives the tenant a statutory right to void the notice by paying every dollar of rent owed before the landlord files an L1 application with the Landlord and Tenant Board.

This is the void period — a window that exists between service of the N4 and the point at which the landlord takes the next formal step. If the tenant pays the full arrears during this window, the N4 is dead. The landlord cannot file an L1, cannot proceed to a hearing, and cannot obtain an eviction order based on that notice.

The key word is "full." Partial payments do not void the notice. If the tenant owes $3,200 across two months and pays $2,800, the N4 remains live and the landlord can file the L1 for the remaining balance.

Bill 60 Shortened the N4 Notice Period (September 21, 2026)

Before September 21, 2026, the N4 notice period was 14 days for most tenancies and 7 days for daily or weekly tenancies. The landlord could file the L1 the day after the termination date if the rent remained unpaid.

For N4 notices given on or after September 21, 2026, the notice period is 7 days for all tenancies. The landlord may file the L1 the day after the termination date if the rent remains unpaid. There is no additional 7-day filing wait. The timeline is:

1. Day 0 — Landlord serves the N4 (this day does not count)
2. Days 1–7 — The 7-day notice period runs
3. Day 8 — Earliest L1 filing date if the rent remains unpaid

If served by mail, add 5 deemed service days before the notice period starts.

What Counts as "Full Arrears" on the N4

The N4 must itemize only rent lawfully owing — the monthly amount set in the lease or the last valid rent increase. Landlords cannot include utility disputes, maintenance charges, late fees, or legal costs on the N4. If they do, the notice is defective.

This matters for the void calculation too. The tenant only needs to pay the rent amounts properly claimed on the N4. If a landlord inflated the balance with non-rent charges, the tenant can pay the legitimate rent arrears and argue the N4 was void from the start because it included unlawful amounts.

One subtle trap: if the landlord collected an improper rent increase (no valid N1 notice, or an increase above the annual guideline for a pre-November 2018 unit), the "rent lawfully owing" is the old amount, not the inflated one. The N4 balance must be calculated against the lawful rent.

After the L1 Is Filed: The Second Void Window

Even after the landlord files the L1, the tenant still has one more chance. Section 74 of the RTA allows the tenant to void the eviction proceeding by paying:

• All rent arrears claimed in the application
• The landlord's LTB filing fee ($186 for online, $201 for paper)

This payment must happen before the hearing date. At the hearing, the adjudicator will confirm the amounts and can issue a conditional or standard order depending on the tenant's payment history. But if the tenant walks in having paid everything plus the filing fee, the application is typically dismissed.

What Landlords Should Track

For landlords, the void period means careful record-keeping is essential. Document every payment received, including the date, amount, and method. If the tenant pays the full arrears within the void window, the N4 is spent — you would need to serve a fresh N4 if arrears accumulate again.

Track these deadlines on your calendar:

• Date of service (and method — mail adds 5 days)
• End of the 7-day notice period
• Earliest L1 filing date (the day after the N4 termination date)
• Date the L1 was filed (if applicable)
• Hearing date (the final cure deadline)

If you are managing an Ontario tenancy termination and want every deadline, service rule, and form requirement mapped into a single workflow, the Ending a Tenancy in Ontario guide walks through the entire N4 process from notice to enforcement.

When the Void Period Does Not Apply

Not every termination notice has a void period. The N4 is unusual in giving the tenant a statutory cure right. By contrast:

• N5 (first notice) has a 7-day cure window for the conduct, but that is about stopping the behaviour, not paying money
• N6, N7, N8 have no cure period at all
• N12 and N13 have no cure — but the tenant can serve a Form N9 with 10 days' notice to leave early

The N4 void period exists because the legislature recognized that a temporary cash-flow problem should not cost someone their home if they can make it right. But once the L1 is filed and the hearing passes without full payment, the adjudicator can issue the eviction order and the Sheriff enforces it.

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