T2 Tenant Rights Application in Ontario: Steps for Tenants Filing and Landlords Responding

Ontario's T2 is the tenant's complaint form about conduct. It goes to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) from a tenant or ex-tenant who says the landlord, the super or an agent ignored protections the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (RTA) gives them. Think unlawful entry, a lockout, harassment, heat or power cut off, or serious disruption of a tenant's use of their home. For tenants, it's the route to an abatement, an order to stop and more. For landlords, it's a claim usually won or lost on the paper trail.

Quick summary

The rights a T2 protects

Section 29(1) of the RTA covers these complaints against a landlord, super or agent:

The form also lists two extras. One: after the Sheriff enforced an eviction, the tenant didn't get 72 hours to collect belongings (s. 41(3)). Two: in a care home, there was no written agreement setting out the meals and care services (s. 140).

Vital services, for this purpose: fuel, gas, electricity, hot water, cold water — and heat from September 1 through June 15. Section 20 repair complaints are T6 territory instead.

Picking the right form

Use a T2 for behaviour. Choose instead:

• T1 — money the landlord took or kept;
• T6 — disrepair;
• T5 — a bad-faith N12 or N13 once the tenant has moved out.

Facing an L1? Section 82 may let a tenant raise these problems at that hearing, and s. 87(2) does the same for an L9 or L10. When that rent application was filed from September 21, 2026, the conditions include paying half of the arrears being claimed (Rule 19.4) (Issues a Tenant Intends to Raise explains).

The entry rules a T2 is judged against

• Without written notice (s. 26): emergencies; consent given right then; agreed cleaning; or, once termination notice is out, showings between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. provided the landlord reasonably tried to tell the tenant first.
• With written notice (s. 27): a day's notice minimum (24 hours) giving why, which day, and an 8 a.m.–8 p.m. time, for a reason s. 27 lists.

Time limits, step by step

1. The basic year (s. 29(2)). File inside a year of the conduct. Single incident: count from that date. Continuing problem: Guideline 6 counts from when it stopped.
2. How far back money reaches. One year before filing, at most, even if things started sooner. Guideline 6 takes this from Toronto Community Housing Corp. v. Vlahovich.
3. Fast-track service. Lockouts: served no later than 48 hours pre-hearing (Rule 5.3). No access to belongings after a Sheriff's eviction: no later than 5 days pre-hearing (Rule 5.4).
4. Evidence. Send it to the other side and the LTB 7 days or more before the hearing; replying evidence, 5 days or more (Rules 19.1–19.2).

Example. Heat went off in a Cornwall apartment on Monday, January 5, 2026 and wasn't fixed until Friday, February 20, 2026. Because the problem was ongoing, the year runs from February 20, 2026. A landlord's separate entry without notice on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 has its own clock starting that Tuesday.

Completing the form (version 01/04/2022)

Part 1 — General Information. Where the unit is, who the tenants and landlord are, any super or agent added (on a Schedule of Parties), when the tenant moved in (and out), and file numbers of related cases.

Part 2 — Reasons. Seven boxes to shade:

1. unlawful entry
2. lock change without a key
3. serious interference with enjoyment
4. threats, harassment, obstruction, coercion
5. no vital services, care services or meals
6. under 72 hours to retrieve belongings post-eviction
7. care home agreement absent or lacking

Each gets a box for names, dates and a description. Dates can be approximate as long as they're marked that way.

Part 3 — Remedies. Eleven choices, numbered on the form: 1 rent abatement · 2 stop order · 3 fine (to the LTB) · 4 tenancy ended · 5 property damage · 6 rent differential for one year · 7 moving/storage · 8 other expenses · 9 back in after a lockout · 10 belongings returned after a Sheriff's eviction · 11 other. Restrictions: a claim resting only on the 72-hour rule is limited to numbers 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11; one resting only on the care home agreement, to an abatement.

Part 4 — Signature, then the accommodation / French-language page and payment.

For tenants filing this

• [ ] Every incident is less than a year old (or, if ongoing, ended less than a year ago).
• [ ] It's about conduct, not repairs (T6) or money (T1).
• [ ] Each reason names people and gives dates, even approximate ones.
• [ ] You've chosen the remedies you want from Part 3.
• [ ] You're filing by Portal, mail, courier or at a ServiceOntario location taking LTB documents, with the fee ($48 Portal / $53 otherwise) or a waiver.

The LTB delivers the application and Notice of Hearing to the landlord (Rule 5.1). Evidence, though, each side exchanges directly.

For landlords receiving this

1. Date every allegation. Anything that ended over a year before the filing date is outside s. 29(2).

2. Assemble proof, ground by ground.

• Entry: copies of your 24-hour notices and how/when each went out; work orders or emergency calls; any texts where the tenant said yes.
• Locks: why and when they changed; evidence the tenant was given (or offered) keys.
• Vital services: utility statements, disconnection warnings, call logs and invoices proving how fast service came back. Between September 1 and June 15, O. Reg. 516/06, s. 4 sets a minimum heat level.
• Disruption caused by work: O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8 governs maintenance, repairs and capital improvements. Meet all of s. 8(4) and the LTB can't award an abatement. In short, you need:
• notice at least 60 days ahead (emergencies: as soon as reasonable) explaining the work, its likely effect and expected length, kept current as plans changed;
• a listed purpose, such as structural integrity, legal compliance, maintaining building systems, accessibility, energy or water savings, or security;
• a permit, where one was required;
• sensible or by-law-allowed working hours, a reasonable duration, and reasonable noise control.

Hold on to the notice, permit and contractor timetable. - Harassment: every text, email and letter from you or your staff. Context counts; so does tone.

3. Get evidence in on time. Late material may be excluded (Rule 19.7).

4. Know what's at stake (s. 31). Possible orders: a rent abatement; a stop order; reimbursement for property and expenses; an administrative fine capped at $10,000 or the Small Claims Court limit if that's higher; termination; or whatever else the LTB finds appropriate. Did the conduct drive the tenant out? Then one year of rent differential plus moving costs may follow (s. 31(2)). Lockout, and the unit's still empty? The tenant may get it back (s. 31(3)).

5. Settle through the Board. Under Rule 17.2, once a harassment T2 is filed the tenant needs a Member's or Dispute Resolution Officer's consent to withdraw it. Bring any settlement to the LTB instead of counting on a private withdrawal.

Why T2 applications fail

1. Stale conduct. s. 29(2) shuts out anything older than a year; abatements stop at the same line.
2. It's really a repair or money claim. Disrepair is a T6, money is a T1. A T2 describing only disrepair may fail as framed.
3. The entry was lawful. Proper 24-hour notice for a s. 27 purpose, or a s. 26 no-notice situation, isn't illegal entry.
4. Everyday irritation. For landlord work, O. Reg. 516/06, s. 8(3)(b) treats interference as substantial only when, in the circumstances, it was unreasonable.
5. Vague reasons. No dates, names or description means nothing to respond to and little to prove.
6. Fee unpaid, no waiver. The LTB won't take it.

After filing

Expect a hearing, which may open with mediation. If the tenant wins, the order lists the remedies — and ignoring a stop order is an offence. Then: a review request within 15 days for orders from July 1, 2026 onward (Rule 26.5), or a Divisional Court appeal on a legal question inside 30 days (s. 210).

What's new

Neither the 2022 form nor the August 2023 instructions has been updated. From July 1, 2026, a tenant can put in a window or portable air conditioner when RTA s. 36.1's conditions are met, and Guideline 6 now deals with air conditioners. Reviews: 15 days now, down from 30, for orders dated July 1, 2026 onward.

Questions people ask

Is there a legal definition of landlord harassment in Ontario?

No — the RTA leaves it undefined. What s. 23 does is forbid landlords to harass, threaten, coerce, obstruct or interfere with a tenant. Guideline 6 explains the LTB's approach, and each case turns on its own facts.

Could the landlord end up paying a fine?

Yes. Section 31(1)(d) allows an administrative fine payable to the Board; the ceiling is $10,000 or the Small Claims Court's monetary limit, if that's more.

My landlord came in to fix the sink. Was that illegal?

No, provided a written notice reached you 24 hours ahead with the reason, the day and an 8-to-8 entry time (s. 27). Emergencies, and entry you agreed to at the door, are also allowed (s. 26).

Official sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 20–27, 29, 31, 36.1, 41, 82, 87, 140, 207, 210
• O. Reg. 516/06, ss. 4, 8
• T2 Instructions
• T2 – Application about Tenant Rights (PDF)
• Interpretation Guideline 6: Tenant Rights
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 5, 17, 19, 19.4, 26
• LTB Forms, filing and fees
• LTB Operational Update, July 1, 2026

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