Sometimes the person who started a case at Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) decides they do not need a ruling after all. That person closes the file with the Request to Withdraw an Application. Landlords and tenants both use it, but only for their own filings. It is also the form for abandoning your own motion to set aside or to void an order, or your own Request to Review an Order.
Quick facts
| Who can file it | Whoever filed the application, personally or through a representative |
| Timing | No permission needed until the hearing starts; from then on, LTB consent is required |
| Written hearings | Before the date your written submissions are due |
| Where it goes | The Tribunals Ontario Portal (required for lawyers and paralegals) |
| Cost | Nothing to withdraw; the original application fee stays with the LTB |
| What comes after | No further form; the file is closed |
How withdrawal works for each side
The rule comes from s. 200 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA). An applicant may withdraw at any point before the hearing starts (s. 200(2)). Once the hearing is under way, the Board has to consent (s. 200(4)). The details are in Rule 17 of the Board's procedural rules:
- When a hearing "begins." An oral or electronic hearing starts once the parties first come face to face with a Member or a Dispute Resolution Officer (DRO). Appearing only to deal with a preliminary matter still counts (Rule 17.3).
- Written hearings. Rule 17.1 lets you withdraw without consent while your written submissions are not yet due.
- Telling people. Whatever the timing, let the LTB and the other parties know promptly (Rules 17.1 and 17.2).
For landlords: this is how you drop an L application you filed.
For tenants: this is how you drop a T application you filed. One exception: if your T2 says the landlord harassed, threatened, coerced, obstructed or interfered with you, you need the Board's consent to withdraw it at any stage (RTA s. 200(3); Rule 17.2), and the form asks for your reasons.
Withdrawal cannot be reversed. According to the form's instructions, once a matter is withdrawn you cannot later change your mind and ask to pick it back up.
Is withdrawing the right move? A checklist
Withdrawing usually makes sense when:
- [ ] the tenant has left and the landlord does not want an order for money,
- [ ] the parties settled privately and do not need a consent order, or
- [ ] the wrong application was filed.
Pause and consider another tool when:
- An L1 tenant has paid in full. Where the tenant has paid the arrears, every dollar of new rent owing and the landlord's filing fee, all before an order was issued, RTA s. 74(2) discontinues the L1 automatically. Rather than withdrawing, file a Request for a Discontinuance Order Without a Hearing so an order formally ends the case.
- The deal needs to be enforceable. Withdrawing leaves nothing on record to enforce. For a tenant paying over time, a settlement or consent order is the safer path; a s. 206 repayment plan must use the Payment Agreement.
- You just need to fix an error. Refiling costs a new fee; a Rule 15 amendment may be the cheaper fix.
Example. After filing an L2, a landlord learns the tenant has moved out and decides not to chase money. No hearing yet? Simply withdraw. Already appeared before a Member on a preliminary point? The hearing has begun, so LTB consent is needed.
Timing rules, step by step
- Has the hearing begun? If not, you can withdraw without asking permission.
- If it has begun, you need a yes from the Member or DRO. Ask in person at the hearing, or, where the hearing was adjourned, send in the form for a ruling. Not certain the LTB said yes? The instructions tell you to show up on the next hearing date.
- If it is a written hearing, no consent is needed before your submissions are due. Later than that, you must ask the LTB in writing, on this same form.
Completing the form: seven fields
- File Number. It appears on the Notice of Hearing and in the Portal.
- Language Preference. Choose French or English.
- Requester. Choose the box for your role (Landlord, Tenant, Co-op, Representative, Other), then fill in a name, email and daytime number. Lawyers and licensed paralegals also list their LSO number (Law Society of Ontario).
- "I have the authority to bind all Applicants." Say Yes only when it is accurate; if there are co-landlords, check with them first.
- Rental Unit Address. Match the address on the application word for word.
- Withdrawal. Here you confirm the file should close and nothing more should happen. Only a tenant withdrawing a T2 harassment claim must fill in the explanation, though a line of reasons is useful once a hearing is under way.
- Signature of Requester. Your printed name, signature and the date, as dd/mm/yyyy. An electronic filer ticks a box in place of a handwritten signature.
Sending it in
File online: the route named on the LTB's forms page is the Tribunals Ontario Portal. Since January 1, 2025 the Portal has been compulsory for lawyers and paralegals filing this form, and a licensee's form sent by mail, email, courier or ServiceOntario will not be processed. Withdrawing costs nothing, and your application fee is non-refundable.
Common slip-ups
- Assuming a post-hearing withdrawal is automatic. Once anyone has appeared in front of the Member or DRO, a preliminary issue included, the LTB's agreement is required. Skip the next date because you think the case is over, and the hearing may proceed in your absence.
- The wrong person files it. Withdrawal belongs to the applicant (or their representative). A tenant cannot end the landlord's case this way, and neither can a property manager without authority; the LTB will refuse both.
- Claiming authority over all applicants without having it. When co-owners or related companies applied together, one cannot bind the rest without authority.
- Withdrawing a paid-off L1. You lose the discontinuance order and the clear record that comes with it. Use the discontinuance request.
- Withdrawing instead of recording a deal. If an informal payment plan falls apart, the landlord has nothing enforceable.
- Leaving the other side in the dark. Rule 17 requires notice to the other parties, and the instructions say it should be in writing.
What to expect next
Before the hearing begins, the LTB simply closes the file. After it begins, consent is in the hands of the Member or DRO, and any hearing date on the calendar stands until the LTB says otherwise. Starting again later means a brand-new application and a new fee.
Questions people ask
Will the LTB return my filing fee?
No. Fees are non-refundable, according to both the form itself and the LTB's page on fees.
My tenant caught up on everything. Is withdrawing my L1 the right step?
Generally no. Full payment of arrears, new rent owing and your filing fee, made before any order, discontinues the L1 under RTA s. 74(2). The right form is the discontinuance request.
Can I bring a withdrawn case back?
No, that file stays closed. You would need to start over with a fresh application and fee, inside whatever deadline applies to your notice.
As a tenant, can I withdraw my harassment application?
Only if the Board agrees. RTA s. 200(3) and Rule 17.2 cover a T2 claiming the landlord harassed, threatened, coerced, obstructed or interfered with you, and you must explain your reasons on the form.
Official sources
- Request to Withdraw an Application (form and instructions)
- LTB Rules of Procedure, Rule 17
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, s. 200
- Practice Direction Requiring Law Society Licensees to use TOP
- LTB Forms, filing and fees
Landlord or tenant, get this right the first time
A licensed paralegal can prepare, serve or answer this form and represent you at the Board.