Did It Get There? Ontario LTB Certificates of Service for Landlords and Tenants

At Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), handing someone a document isn't enough — you also have to show the Board you did it. The Certificate of Service is that proof: who delivered what, to whom, on which date and by which method. Landlords attach one to nearly every eviction application to show the termination notice was served. Tenants use the same form whenever the LTB has them serve something, such as a motion or a review request. There's also an L10 edition, for when the person being served is an ex-tenant who no longer lives at the property.

Quick summary

Why this form matters

The permitted delivery methods come from two places: RTA s. 191, and Rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure, which expands the list. Rule 3.8 requires a certificate, signed by the server, whenever the Rules call for one or the Board directs it. It's evidence, plain and simple — dispute service at the hearing and the Member checks your certificate against the facts.

Two versions:

Which version, which method?

• Standard form: an N4, N5, N12 or similar given to an occupying tenant, and any document the Board has assigned you to deliver.
• L10 version: ex-tenants only, with methods aimed at their present home.
• Never tape a notice to the door. The sole exception, per Rule 3.2 and a note on the form, is a s. 27 entry notice (24 hours) — or a Member's order.
• Email needs written consent (Rule 3.1). Former tenants: the consent must date from the tenancy, and you need proof of receipt (Rule 3.3).

The dates that count

When service is treated as done (Rule 3.9)

Why it matters: a termination notice's notice period runs from service, so mailing it adds five days before its termination date can work.

Examples. An N4 mailed on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 is deemed served Monday, November 9. A document handed to a courier on Friday, November 6 would be deemed served the next day — but that's a Saturday, so it rolls to Monday, November 9.

When the certificate is due

1. Portal applications: the notice and its certificate go up at the moment of filing (Rule 4.4). If you can't, you have 5 calendar days; miss that and the application may be dismissed administratively (Rule 4.5).
2. You served the application and hearing notice yourself (because a rule or order said so): five days after serving (Rule 5.15; Rule 3.8).
3. L10 applications: three separate clocks, counted back from the hearing —

Completing the standard form

1. File number and unit address. Not filed yet? The file number stays empty.
2. The certifying sentence. Fill in the server's name and the service date.
3. Documents. Tick each one delivered — a termination notice (write its number, like N4), an application (its number), the hearing notice, an ex parte set-aside motion, a review request, or something else you name.
4. To whom. Tenant, landlord or other, with a name. Multiple tenants, same date, same method? There's a circle for that; add a page listing each name and address.
5. Method. Exactly one box, matching reality: - personal delivery — to the recipient, an authorized landlord employee, or an adult at the unit; - the recipient's mailbox; - under the door, or via the mail slot; - courier; - fax, with the number; - mail/Xpresspost to the last known address, written in; - something else, explained.
6. Signature. Role box, name, phone; signed and dated by the server personally.

The L10 version

It mirrors the standard form except in three ways. The documents are fixed (L10 Application plus hearing notice). The recipient is the ex-tenant. And the methods all target their present home: personal delivery to them or an adult living there, post, courier, mailbox, door or slot, or email if they gave written consent earlier and you can show receipt. Put the address beside your chosen method — and expect a question at the hearing about how you tracked it down, as the form cautions.

Filing it

Upload either version on the Tribunals Ontario Portal; a typed name works as a signature there (Rule 4.3). No charge. Licensees (lawyers, paralegals) are bound by the LTB Practice Direction to file applications and listed requests on the Portal.

Before you sign: a checklist

• [ ] The method you tick is the one you really used
• [ ] No door-posting (unless it's a s. 27 entry notice or a Member allowed it)
• [ ] Written email consent on file, if you emailed
• [ ] The termination date allows for deemed service (five extra days for mail)
• [ ] The person who served is the person signing
• [ ] Right version: L10 form for a tenant who has moved out
• [ ] Upload date diarized: with the application, or within 5 calendar days

Mistakes that can sink the case

1. Ticking a method you didn't use. False or misleading filings are an offence — and an improperly served notice may collapse at the hearing anyway.
2. An N4 taped to the door. Not valid for termination notices; both the notice and the application built on it are exposed.
3. Email with no written consent. No consent (Rules 3.1, 3.5) means no service.
4. A date that makes the notice too short. Certify the mailing date as the service date and, once the five deemed days are added, the termination date may be too early.
5. Not uploading with the application. Five calendar days after filing is the outer limit; past it, administrative dismissal is possible (Rule 4.5).
6. Standard form for a tenant who's left, or serving the old unit. Ex-tenants get served at their current home — RTA s. 191(1.0.1) and Rule 3.3.
7. A late L10 certificate. Under 20 days before the hearing? The form says cancellation and closure of the file may follow.
8. The wrong signer. Rule 3.8: the server signs, nobody else.

What happens next

On the file, the certificate supports your case. Defective service gives the LTB three options under Rule 5.17: carry on if no one is prejudiced, adjourn, or dismiss. When every permitted method fails, ask for alternative service.

Questions people ask

Who signs the certificate?

Whoever delivered it: landlord, property manager, process server, tenant. Representatives sign only for service they carried out themselves.

Is email OK for an N4?

Only where the tenant agreed in writing to be served by email (Rules 3.1, 3.5). Hold on to that agreement — the LTB publishes a consent form for exactly this purpose.

If the LTB sends out the Notice of Hearing, do I still need a certificate?

The Board normally delivers those itself (Rule 5.1). Certificates are still needed for documents you delivered — your termination notice, say — and whatever the Board assigns to you.

How much time do I add when mailing?

Five. Rule 3.9 deems mail served on day five after posting; start the notice period from that day.

Official sources

• Certificate of Service (PDF)
• Certificate of Service – L10 (PDF)
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 3, 4 and 5
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, s. 191
• LTB Forms, filing and fees

Last reviewed October 31, 2026. General information, not legal advice for your situation. Always use the current version of the form from the LTB.