You cannot end a tenancy because the term is up, because you would like a higher rent, or because you have someone better lined up. You need a ground under the Act, the right form, and in most cases an order from the Board.
The three routes that are not about tenant conduct
N11, Agreement to End the Tenancy. The name is the whole of it: both parties sign voluntarily. No ground required, no compensation required, no hearing. By far the cleanest route, and often worth paying for: a negotiated cash incentive that both sides agree to is cheaper and faster than a contested N12.
N12, Notice to End your Tenancy Because the Landlord, a Purchaser or a Family Member Requires the Unit. Usually called the owner's need to reclaim possession. For you, your spouse, a child or parent of either, a caregiver for one of them, or a purchaser who requires the unit. Sixty days' notice ending on the last day of a rental period, and one month's rent in compensation.
N13, Notice to End your Tenancy Because the Landlord Wants to Demolish the Rental Unit, Repair it or Convert it to Another Use. Demolition, conversion, or major repairs requiring vacant possession and a building permit. Longer notice, larger compensation, and a right of first refusal for the tenant to return at the same rent. This is the one that attracts the most scrutiny.
Serving an N12 or N13 does not oblige the tenant to leave. If they do not go, you must apply to the Board on an L2 and obtain an order, then have it enforced by the Sheriff. Only the Sheriff can remove a tenant. Changing the locks yourself is an illegal lockout.
What changed on 1 July 2026
Maximum fines for offences under the Act doubled on 1 July 2026 to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation. Bad-faith evictions and illegal lockouts are exactly the offences this targets.
Those are ceilings for prosecutions brought by the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit in the Ontario Court of Justice, separate from and on top of any administrative fine or compensation the Board itself orders in your case.
The window to request a review of a Board order also dropped from thirty days to fifteen. If an order goes against you, diarise it the day it arrives.
Bad faith
If the person named on an N12 does not move in, or the unit is re-rented within twelve months, the Board can order the former tenant up to twelve months' rent in compensation, plus moving costs and the difference in rent they now pay. A former tenant has a year to bring that application, and they do.
Between the compensation, the filing fees, the months of delay, the risk of a bad-faith finding, and the vacancy, a contested N12 frequently costs more than simply negotiating an N11 with a cash incentive. Work out that number before you serve anything.
Confirm the current requirements with the Landlord and Tenant Board and take advice from a paralegal before serving any notice.