The L10 Step by Step: Claiming Money From a Former Tenant at Ontario's LTB

In Ontario, the L10 is the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) application for chasing money after a tenancy is over and the tenant has gone. For a landlord, it can recover unpaid rent, overholding compensation, NSF charges, utilities, damage and certain out-of-pocket costs. For a former tenant, it is a claim that can be answered and contested at a hearing. Keep two features in mind from the start: the landlord has just one year from move-out to file, and it is the landlord's job to deliver the papers to the ex-tenant and prove that delivery on a special certificate.

Quick reference

Which debts belong on an L10

The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) began allowing claims against a tenant "no longer in possession" (in plain terms, someone who has given up the unit) on September 1, 2021. The tenant's departure has to be that date or later. Six kinds of money can be claimed:

1. Rent left unpaid (s. 87(1)).
2. Use-and-occupation compensation for days the tenant overstayed after a notice or an agreement had already brought the tenancy to an end (s. 87(3)).
3. NSF costs: the bank fee for each bounced cheque, plus your own administration fee, which is capped at $20 a cheque (s. 87(5); O. Reg. 516/06, s. 17). They may only be added to a rent or compensation claim.
4. Utilities the lease said the tenant had to pay (s. 88.2).
5. Undue damage, done on purpose or through carelessness, by the tenant, another occupant or a visitor (s. 89).
6. Costs of substantial interference: money you had to spend because of the tenant's substantial interference with your reasonable enjoyment or lawful rights (s. 88.1).

The Board subtracts any rent deposit you are holding, and the interest owed on it, from the award.

Some things are off the table:

• RGI misrepresentation. Extra rent a rent-geared-to-income tenant should have paid after misstating income is claimable only while that tenant still lives in the unit (s. 90).
• Amounts above $50,000. Anything over the cap is lost for good once the order comes out (s. 207(3)).
• Guarantors. An L10 cannot be brought against one (Interpretation Guideline 11).

Before you start: three quick checks

Answer these first. If any answer is "no", the L10 is probably the wrong tool.

1. Is the tenant gone? If the tenant still lives there, rent claims use an L1 or an L9 instead, while damage, utilities and interference use an L2.
2. Did the move-out happen September 1, 2021 or later? An earlier departure is outside the Board's reach under these sections, so the claim would belong in court.
3. Is the claim $50,000 or less? For more than that, court may suit you better; RTA s. 207(2) allows a court to exercise the Board's powers on a larger claim.

Where the rent claim stops

The end point for rent depends on how the tenancy finished (RTA s. 88; Interpretation Guideline 11):

On top of that, the Board considers mitigation: did you take reasonable steps to re-let the unit and keep your losses down (ss. 16, 88(4))? Rent will not be awarded for any period in which a replacement tenant was paying you.

Counting your deadlines

The one-year limit. Each type of claim has to be made within one year after the tenant gave up possession (see RTA ss. 87(1.1), 87(3.1), 88.1(2), 88.2(2) and 89(1.1)). On the form, the information page describes this as 365 days at most from the move-out day. Since the limit comes from statute, the Board has no power to extend it (see O. Reg. 516/06, s. 56). Gather proof of the move-out date now: when the keys came back, a move-out inspection report, or the facts that show the unit was abandoned.

The hearing-related deadlines, all measured back from the hearing date:

• 40 days: last day to file a Request to Use Alternative Service if no permitted method will work (Rule 3.4).
• 35 days: last day to mail. Mail is treated as received on the fifth day after it is sent (RTA s. 191(3); Rule 3.9).
• 30 days: service on every former tenant must be complete (Rule 5.8). Courier counts as delivered on the next business day after the courier takes the package (Rule 3.9).
• 20 days: the Certificate of Service must be on file (Rule 5.16).
• 7 days: the tenancy agreement, bills, invoices and photos must be disclosed to the ex-tenant and the Board (Rule 19.1).

Worked example. A tenant returns the keys on Monday, April 13, 2026. The 365th day after that is Tuesday, April 13, 2027, but there is no reason to leave it that late. Suppose the Board sets the hearing for Wednesday, February 17, 2027. Then:

• alternative service request: Friday, January 8, 2027;
• mail out: Wednesday, January 13, 2027 (treated as received Monday, January 18);
• all service complete: Monday, January 18, 2027;
• certificate filed: Thursday, January 28, 2027;
• evidence disclosed: Wednesday, February 10, 2027.

Rule 1.1 treats Saturdays and Sundays as holidays, so check whether any date you calculate falls on a weekend.

Completing the form, one step at a time

Use version 2026/09. The package contains a three-page checklist and information section (you keep it; it is not filed), the application itself (eight pages), plus a form for payment information.

Step 1 – Language and accommodation. Choose English or French. Accommodation requests go in on their own form.

Step 2 – Part 1. Write the full address of the unit that was rented.

Step 3 – Part 2. Leave this until the end, then copy in the Total from Part 5.

Step 4 – Part 3 (General Information). - Your landlord details, and whether you prefer the Board to use Mail or Email. - The departure date. It goes in the line reading "The former tenant moved out of the rental unit on (dd/mm/yyyy)". Your one-year deadline hangs on this date, so keep proof. - Name, email and phone for every former tenant. - Each ex-tenant's present address, if known. Never enter the old unit's address. That is where the Board sends its order, and you may need it for enforcement later. The adjudicator may ask how you tracked it down. If you have no idea, leaving it blank is allowed, yet you must still serve them.

Step 5 – Part 4 (the five reasons). Complete only those that fit your situation. - Reason 1, rent and compensation. In the Rent Owing table, enter each period's From and To dates and the Rent Charged, Rent Paid and Rent Owing. Earlier periods can be bundled into row one or two; the most recent period must stand alone on the final row. Below the table, record the deposit: the amount, the date you took it, and the most recent period you paid interest for. A flat utility amount charged monthly is treated as rent; a fluctuating share of a bill belongs under Reason 3. - Reason 2, NSF. Allowed only with Reason 1. One line per returned cheque; administration fee no higher than $20; do not enter the face value of the cheque. - Reason 3, utilities. One line per bill showing the utility company, bill date, billing period, bill total, what the tenant paid and the balance. Explain the claim in writing and be ready to disclose the bills and a written lease. - Reason 4, damage. State the total, then go item by item: what was damaged and how you calculated the cost of fixing or replacing it. An estimate is fine. - Reason 5, interference. Itemise your out-of-pocket spending and link every item to what the tenant did. Damage and utility claims never go under this reason.

Step 6 – Part 5 (Total Amount Owing). Total the five reasons and include the application fee you are actually paying.

Step 7 – Part 6 (Signature). Sign and date it yourself, or have your legal representative do so; a representative also lists their Law Society number and how to reach them. The Board refuses an application with no signature.

Step 8 – Payment. Pay by credit card, or by money order or certified cheque made out to the "Minister of Finance". If you send card details by mail or courier, attach the Credit Card Payment Form.

On the Portal: the same questions appear on screen. Double-check before the "Ready to Submit" page, since you lose the ability to edit the draft from there. No official walkthrough of the Portal screens has been published, so follow its prompts.

Getting it filed and delivered

To file, have ready: - [ ] the signed L10; - [ ] payment of the fee, or else an approved Fee Waiver Request (see Section C of the L10 Instructions); - [ ] access to the Tribunals Ontario Portal, the method the LTB forms page lists. The instructions explain the paper routes too (mail, courier, ServiceOntario). Lawyers and licensed paralegals must file online.

To serve (RTA s. 189.0.1): once the Notice of Hearing arrives, every ex-tenant needs their own package, containing both the L10 and the Notice of Hearing, no fewer than 30 days ahead of the hearing. Rule 3.3 and RTA s. 191(1.0.1) permit only these methods:

• [ ] handing it to the ex-tenant directly;
• [ ] giving it to someone who seems to be an adult at the place the ex-tenant lives now;
• [ ] posting or couriering it to that address;
• [ ] at that address, putting it where mail usually goes, under the door, or through the mail slot;
• [ ] email, but only with written consent to email service that the tenant gave during the tenancy, plus proof it arrived, such as a reply or read receipt.

The old unit is never a valid place to serve. When nothing on that list will work, ask the Board, no fewer than 40 days ahead of the hearing, to approve something else, for example the ex-tenant's workplace (Rule 3.4).

To prove service: use the dedicated Certificate of Service – Serving a Former Tenant or a Tenant no Longer in Possession of the Rental Unit, not the standard certificate. It asks for:

• [ ] the LTB file number and where the unit is;
• [ ] which documents were served (L10 Application, Notice of Hearing) and when;
• [ ] the person served. For several ex-tenants served by one method on one date, shade the relevant circle and attach their names and addresses;
• [ ] how service was done, including the address or email used;
• [ ] the signature of the individual who personally carried out service.

It must reach the Board no fewer than 20 days ahead of the hearing.

Where L10 claims go wrong

1. Filing after the year is up. The statute fixes the limit, and nobody can extend it. Even one day too late ends the LTB claim.
2. A pre-September 2021 move-out. The Board lacks jurisdiction.
3. No certificate, or a late one. Without it on file 20 or more days ahead of the hearing, the hearing can be cancelled and the file closed, with no refund of the fee (see Rule 5.16 and Section E of the L10 Instructions).
4. Delivering to the old unit. Not a permitted method once the tenant has left.
5. Cutting service too fine. Service must be finished 30 days out. Posting on day 30 means deemed receipt with only 25 days left. Under Rule 5.17, faulty service can lead to an adjournment or a dismissal.
6. Emailing without the two safeguards. Rule 3.3 needs both written consent from the tenancy period and proof of receipt.
7. Not being able to say how you found the address. When the ex-tenant does not appear, the adjudicator will want to know how you located their present home. Keep the trail: forwarding details, messages from the tenant, or other sources.
8. Overlooking re-rental. Claiming months a new tenant paid for, or saying nothing about your efforts to re-let, can cut the rent award down or eliminate it (s. 88(4)).
9. NSF errors. NSF fees on their own are not allowed, and the administration fee cannot top $20 per cheque.
10. Old paperwork. From November 30, 2026, any L10 dated before 2026/09 is refused.

If you are the ex-tenant

A short checklist, drawn from the rules above:

• [ ] Did the landlord file inside one year from your move-out, and did you leave September 1, 2021 or later?
• [ ] Were you served properly? Delivery to your old unit does not count, and email only counts where you consented in writing back when you were a tenant, and the landlord has proof you got it.
• [ ] Is the rent period right? It should stop at the date that applies under s. 88, and not cover time a new tenant was paying.
• [ ] Has your deposit, with interest, been credited?
• [ ] Is any NSF administration fee within the $20-per-cheque cap?
• [ ] Do you want to raise your own issues on a rent claim filed September 21, 2026 or later? Then, by 7 days ahead of the hearing, pay the landlord half the rent arrears claimed and send a written description of your issues to the landlord and the Board (s. 87(2), which applies the s. 82 rules; Interpretation Guideline 11).

What follows the filing

The hearing takes place on the date the Notice of Hearing gives, and the ex-tenant may dispute any figure. The tenant-issues condition in the checklist above applies to rent claims and is printed on the updated L10.

The Board's order goes to the current address you provided, or by email. It is a money order collected like any debt; nobody is evicted. Where the order is dated July 1, 2026 or later and has a serious error in it, the time to request a review is 15 days.

2026 updates to know

• September 21, 2026: a revised L10 was released, and versions before 2026/09 are refused from November 30, 2026. For rent applications filed from this date, a tenant or ex-tenant who wishes to bring up other issues must first pay half of the claimed arrears to the landlord, 7 days ahead of the hearing. A revised Interpretation Guideline 11 also took effect.
• July 1, 2026: rent may now include seasonal air-conditioner charges, and the review window for orders issued from this date shrank from 30 days to 15.

Questions landlords and tenants ask

How long after move-out can an L10 be filed?

Up to one year, with no extensions available from the Board. The tenant also has to have moved out September 1, 2021 or later.

Does the Board send the L10 to the ex-tenant?

No, that falls to the landlord. Every ex-tenant must be given the application and Notice of Hearing no fewer than 30 days ahead of the hearing, and the L10 Certificate of Service must be filed no fewer than 20 days ahead.

What if the landlord cannot find the ex-tenant's new address?

The address field may be left empty, but service is still required, by a permitted method or by an alternative the Board approves on a request made 40 or more days ahead of the hearing. Expect questions about how any address used was found.

Can an ex-tenant be served by email?

Only where they gave written consent to email service while the tenancy was ongoing, and there is proof the email was actually received.

Official sources

• Form L10 (2026/09) and L10 Instructions
• Certificate of Service – L10 Serving a Former Tenant
• Request to Use Alternative Service
• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 16, 87, 88, 88.1, 88.2, 89, 90, 189.0.1, 191, 207
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 17, 56
• LTB Rules of Procedure
• Interpretation Guideline 11: Rent Arrears
• LTB Operational Update, September 21, 2026
• 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.