What the Act requires of a tenant
Pay rent in full, on time. The obligation stands even where the tenant has an outstanding maintenance complaint. Withholding rent is not a lawful remedy in Ontario.
Ordinary cleanliness. The standard is ordinary, not spotless. Untidiness isn't a breach; conditions creating health, safety, or pest problems are.
Repair wilful or negligent damage caused by the tenant, their household, or their guests. Normal wear and tear is yours, not theirs.
Not substantially interfere with other tenants' or your reasonable enjoyment of the property.
Not overcrowd the unit beyond health and safety standards.
Give proper notice to end the tenancy: 60 days for monthly, ending on the last day of a rental period.
The remedies, honestly
Every remedy runs through the Landlord and Tenant Board, and the Board has a backlog. Plan around timelines measured in months rather than weeks.
Non-payment of rent: serve an N4, then apply with an L1 if it isn't paid. The tenant can void the notice by paying in full at any point before the order is enforced.
Damage: N5, which the tenant can void within seven days by repairing or paying. A second N5 within six months cannot be voided.
Interference or illegal activity: N5, N6, or N7 depending on the conduct. N7 covers serious impairment of safety and moves fastest.
Screening, mostly. Once a bad tenancy has started, every route through it is slow, and none of them recovers your time. The money you'd save by skipping a reference call is trivial against a six-month non-payment case.
After that: document everything in writing, keep dated photographs from move-in, serve the correct form promptly rather than after three months of informal chasing, and get a paralegal involved early.
Do not change the locks, remove belongings, shut off heat, water, or electricity, or harass a tenant into leaving. Self-help eviction is illegal in Ontario, and it converts a case you would probably have won into one you will certainly lose.
Form numbers and procedures change. Confirm current requirements with the Landlord and Tenant Board, and take advice before serving anything.