How Much Notice Does a Tenant Have to Give in Ontario? (N9 Explained)

By Jatin Dua · Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty · Updated 2 November 2026 · 10 min read — Ontario tenants usually give 60 days’ notice on Form N9, ending on the last day of a rental period. Here are the 2027 dates and the email rule.

This guide is for Ontario tenants who want to move out and need to give notice the right way, and for landlords who just received an N9. You will get the exact notice periods, a 2027 date table, the answer on mid-month and email notice, and what happens if you leave early.

How much notice does a tenant have to give in Ontario?

For most tenants, the answer is 60 days, and the move-out date must be the last day of a rental period. That rule is in section 44 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA), and the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) repeats it on its N9 form.

The notice period depends on how your tenancy is set up:

Source: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 44, 47, 88 and 145; LTB Form N9 instructions; LTB brochure “How a Tenant Can End Their Tenancy”. Rules as of November 2026.

A tenant who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, or whose child is, can end the tenancy with 28 days’ notice using a different form, the N15, at any time.

What is the N9 form?

The N9 is the LTB’s “Tenant’s Notice to End the Tenancy.” It is the standard written notice a tenant gives a landlord. You fill in your address, the termination date, and sign it. The termination date is the last day you plan to live in the unit.

A few points that people miss:

• You do not need the landlord’s permission or signature. On a monthly tenancy, a correct N9 ends the tenancy on its own.
• You still need to give notice even if your one-year lease is ending. In Ontario, a lease that ends without notice simply carries on month to month. My guide to why fixed-term leases become month-to-month explains this.
• A landlord cannot make you sign an N9 as a condition of renting. A notice signed that way is not binding, with narrow exceptions for some student and care home housing.

Can a tenant give notice in the middle of the month?

Yes. You can hand over an N9 on any day of the month. What matters is the termination date, not the day you give the notice. That date must be at least 60 days later and must fall on the last day of a rental period.

Example: if you pay rent on the 1st and give notice on November 15, 2026, sixty days later is January 14, 2027. The first month-end after that is January 31, 2027, so that is the earliest date you can put on the form. You cannot pick January 15.

What if my rent is due on the 15th?

Then your rental period runs from the 15th to the 14th. Your termination date has to be a 14th, at least 60 days after you give notice. Check your lease for the due date before you fill in the form.

How are the 60 days counted?

The LTB says not to count the day you give the notice, but to count the termination date. If you mail it, the notice is treated as given on the fifth day after mailing, so add five days.

What is the latest date to give notice for a 2027 move?

Here are the last safe dates for a monthly tenancy with rent due on the 1st. I calculated these from the 60-day rule and the special February and March rule in section 44(5).

Source: Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 44(2), 44(5) and 191(3); LTB brochure “How a Tenant Can End Their Tenancy”. Dates calculated by Jatin Dua; give notice a few days early to be safe.

The February and March rule exists because February is short. Notice for the end of February counts as 60 days if given by January 1, and notice for the end of March counts if given by February 1.

Can a tenant give notice by email in Ontario?

Only if the landlord agreed in writing to accept documents by email. The LTB’s service guide says email is allowed when the other person has agreed in writing, for example in the email section of Ontario’s standard lease or on the LTB’s Consent to Service by Email form. Either side can withdraw that consent in writing.

If there is no written consent, use a method in section 191 of the RTA:

• Hand it to the landlord, or to their employee who manages the building, such as a superintendent.
• Leave it in the landlord’s mailbox, or where their mail is normally delivered.
• Mail it to the landlord’s last known address, and add five days.

Section 191(2) also says a notice given another way still counts if you can prove it actually reached the landlord in time. A text or an email the landlord replied to might meet that test, but you would have to prove it at the LTB. Do not rely on it if you can avoid it.

What happens if I leave without giving proper notice?

You may owe rent for the notice period you skipped. Under section 88 of the RTA, a tenant who leaves early can owe rent up to the earliest termination date a proper notice could have given. If you gave no notice at all, that is counted from when the landlord knew, or should have known, that you left.

There are limits. If the landlord rents the unit to someone new, you owe no more than the rent up to the day the new tenant can move in. The landlord must also take reasonable steps to cut their losses, such as advertising the unit. A landlord who leaves it empty for months cannot simply bill you for all of it.

Can I end a fixed-term lease early?

Not on your own, in most cases. The LTB lists the main exits: the landlord agrees, you assign the lease to a new tenant, the LTB orders it, you qualify under the N15 violence rules, or your landlord did not use the standard lease and you followed the steps to demand one. My guide to subletting versus assignment walks through the assignment route. You can also ask the landlord to sign an N11 agreement to end the tenancy on a set date. Offering to help find a replacement tenant can make that easier to agree to.

What happens after a tenant gives an N9?

Once a valid N9 is given, a few rules kick in for both sides.

• Showings. The landlord can enter to show the unit to new tenants between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. without 24 hours’ written notice, but must first tell you or make a reasonable effort to (RTA s. 26(3)). See when a landlord can enter without notice.
• Your last month’s rent. If you paid a rent deposit, it covers your final month. You do not pay that month twice. My guide on deposits and cleaning charges covers the interest you may be owed.
• The landlord can apply right away. Section 77 lets the landlord apply to the LTB for an eviction order based on your N9 without a hearing. The order cannot take effect before your termination date.
• Move everything out. The N9 instructions warn that things left behind after the termination date can be disposed of by the landlord.

Can a tenant cancel an N9 after giving it?

Only if the landlord agrees. The LTB says that once you give notice, you must move out by that date unless the landlord lets you stay. If you stay without agreement, the landlord can get an eviction order based on your own notice.

This got stricter on September 21, 2026. Tribunals Ontario says an eviction order issued without a hearing, based on a tenant’s notice or an agreement to end the tenancy, can now be set aside only if the LTB finds that doing so would not be unfair. The LTB also cannot consider changes in your circumstances after you gave the notice. In plain terms: do not give an N9 until you have your next home lined up.

What if the landlord gave me notice first?

If your landlord served an N12 (landlord or family moving in) or an N13 (major renovation or demolition), you can leave earlier than their date by giving at least 10 days’ notice. That date does not have to be the end of a rental period. Keep track of any compensation you are owed, because in many N12 and N13 cases it depends on the notice dates. My guide to the N12 notice covers the rules.

What to do next

1. Find your rent due date and lease end date, and decide whether you are monthly or in a fixed term.
2. Pick a termination date from the table above, leaving a few days to spare.
3. Download the current N9 from Tribunals Ontario, fill in every field and sign it.
4. Deliver it by hand, mailbox or mail, or by email only if the landlord agreed in writing, and keep proof.
5. Line up your next home before you serve it, because taking it back depends on the landlord.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 26, 44, 45, 47, 77, 88, 191 (Ontario e-Laws)
• LTB brochure: How a Tenant Can End Their Tenancy
• LTB Form N9: Tenant’s Notice to End the Tenancy (with instructions)
• LTB brochure: How to Serve a Landlord or Tenant with Documents
• LTB form: Consent to Service by Email
• Tribunals Ontario: LTB legislative changes effective September 21, 2026

Related reading

• Can My Landlord Enter Without Notice in Ontario?
• Can a Landlord Evict You Without Going to the LTB in Ontario?
• Can My Landlord Raise the Rent Every Year in Ontario? 2027 Rules
• Can a Landlord Put Security Cameras in or Outside a Rental in Ontario?