T7 Suite Meter Application in Ontario: Hydro Transfers and Shared Utilities, for Tenants and Landlords

Ontario's T7 is a tenant's challenge to how a landlord handled suite meters or shared utility bills. Typical story: hydro used to be in the rent, then the landlord moved it into the tenant's name; or, in a small building, the landlord started billing each unit a percentage of a utility. The tenant files with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) saying the required steps were skipped. For tenants, it can mean a rent reduction, a rebate or the landlord taking the bill back. For landlords, the case usually rises or falls on consent forms, notices and the rent calculation.

Quick summary

The two sets of rules a T7 enforces

Set 1 — suite meters and moving electricity to the tenant (s. 137)

Installing the meter. Where the tenancy includes electricity, a short interruption for suite-meter installation is allowed on three conditions: a suite meter provider does the work, the power is off for the least time possible, and notice is proper (s. 137(2)). Per O. Reg. 394/10, proper means in writing, 24 hours or more in advance, naming a time from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shifting the cost. Before the tenant can be made to pay for electricity directly, four boxes must be ticked:

1. the prescribed information is handed over before consent is sought (s. 137(4));
2. the tenant signs the LTB's own consent form, the Tenant Agreement to Pay Directly for Electricity Costs;
3. written notice of 30 days or more is given; and
4. the rent goes down as the rules prescribe (s. 137(3)).

Electric heat. A unit heated mostly by electricity has additional conditions (s. 137(5)).

Fridges. A refrigerator the landlord supplies must date from January 1, 1994 or later; a replacement, from December 31, 2002 or later (O. Reg. 394/10, s. 10).

Set 2 — splitting a utility bill in a small building (s. 138)

Where a building has six units or fewer, apportioning a utility needs three things: the tenant's consent in writing, written notice of 30 days, and lower rent. Prospective tenants must be told, before renting, the unit's percentage and the total utility cost for the most recent available 12 months (s. 138(4)). Trade-off for the landlord: unpaid shares can never ground an N4, an L1 or an L9 (s. 138(3)).

What the Board can order

Section 137(12) options: abate the rent; require repairs or replacements, or reimburse the tenant who paid for them; cut the rent and rebate; or make another fitting order. Where the consent, information or electric-heat rules were broken, it can go further (s. 137(13)) — end the tenancy, or have the landlord take the electricity costs back and fix a new rent.

Is a T7 the right form?

• Only for the suite-meter and apportionment rules.
• General disrepair → T6.
• Money illegally collected outside these rules → T1.
• Electricity charges, fees and deposits aren't "rent", so ss. 134 and 135 don't cover them (s. 137(16)).
• Disputes with the distributor or the suite meter provider go to the Ontario Energy Board — the pre-consent information package includes how to reach it.

Time limits

Tenancies that began before the 2020 amendments may still fall under the earlier wording of s. 137 (s. 137(19)).

Example. A Peterborough landlord had a tenant sign the LTB consent form on Monday, March 2, 2026, without first giving the prescribed information. That breach first occurred March 2, 2026, so the one-year clock starts there. A fridge from 1991 in the same unit has no clock at all.

Completing the form (version 01/04/2022)

Part 1 — General Information. Where the unit is; who the tenants and landlord are; move-in date; whether the tenant is still there; related file numbers.

Part 2 — Reasons, sorted by situation:

Part 3 — Remedies (1 to 8). Abatement · repayment for work the tenant did · permission to do work at the landlord's expense · an order that the landlord do it · rent reduction and rebate · other · ending the tenancy · the landlord resuming the utility, with a new rent set. Remedies 7 and 8 work only alongside Reason 2, 3, 4 or 10.

Part 4 — Signature, then payment.

For tenants filing this

• [ ] Your claim is about the meter, the hydro transfer, the utility split or the fridge — not general repairs.
• [ ] For consent, notice or disclosure problems, it's been less than a year since the breach first happened.
• [ ] If it's an apportionment claim, the building has six units or fewer.
• [ ] If you want remedy 7 or 8, you're relying on Reason 2, 3, 4 or 10.
• [ ] You're filing off the Portal. Post or courier: 15 Grosvenor Street, Toronto. In person: a ServiceOntario location handling LTB documents. Email: ltbpayments@ontario.ca — you'll then get a secure payment link that dies after three calendar days.
• [ ] The $53 fee is ready.

For landlords receiving this

1. Gather the paperwork.

• [ ] signed LTB consent form
• [ ] proof of the information package you gave first
• [ ] 30-day notice
• [ ] 24-hour notice of installation
• [ ] how you calculated the rent reduction
• [ ] shared utilities only: what you disclosed before the tenancy (percentage, 12-month total)

2. Test the dates. Consent, notice and disclosure breaches are barred once a year has passed from when they first occurred. Fridge and conservation claims have no limit.

3. Date every fridge. Have the manufacture date of each fridge you supplied. In a building where costs are apportioned, that means all of them.

4. Electric heat. Electrically heated unit? Bring proof of compliance with s. 137(5).

5. Don't lean on the lease. Advance consent buried in a lease clause is void (s. 137(18)).

6. Evidence timing. A week before the hearing; reply evidence 5 days before (Rules 19.1–19.2).

Why T7 applications fail

1. Late. Consent, notice and disclosure complaints die a year after the breach began.
2. Building too big. Apportionment under s. 138 only applies with six or fewer units.
3. Remedy and reason don't match. Remedies 7 and 8 belong with Reasons 2, 3, 4 and 10 only.
4. Wrong target. The real complaint is with the distributor or meter provider (its fees or deposits), not the landlord.
5. Wrong route or unpaid fee. A T7 goes by mail, courier, ServiceOntario or email, with the fee paid.

After filing

The LTB hears the case and makes an order. For orders issued July 1, 2026 or later, a review can be requested within 15 days (Request to Review an Order); a Divisional Court appeal on a question of law has a 30-day limit (s. 210). For related claims see T3.

Questions people ask

Hydro is included in my lease. Can the landlord make me start paying it?

Only by following every step (s. 137(3)–(4)): a meter or suite meter installed; the prescribed information first; your signature on the LTB consent form; 30 days' notice in writing; and the right rent reduction. Saying no is your right.

If a tenant doesn't pay their share of the utilities, can the landlord evict?

No. Unpaid apportioned charges can't support an N4, L1 or L9 — s. 138(3) says so.

What's the oldest fridge a landlord can supply?

Manufactured January 1, 1994 or later. Replacements: December 31, 2002 or later.

How long does a tenant have to file a T7?

Usually twelve months from the breach's start; conservation and efficiency claims can be brought any time.

Official sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, ss. 137, 138, 207, 210
• O. Reg. 394/10, Suite Meters and Apportionment of Utility Costs
• T7 Instructions
• T7 – Tenant Application about Suite Meters (PDF)
• Tenant Agreement to Pay Directly for Electricity Costs (PDF)
• LTB Rules of Procedure, Rules 19, 26
• 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.