ONTARIO RENTERS & LANDLORDS: NEW RENTAL RULES TAKE EFFECT SEPTEMBER 21

If you rent a home or own a rental property in Ontario, September 21, 2026 is an important date.

Several changes to Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act are scheduled to take effect, following amendments introduced through Bill 60 and Bill 97.

Here are some of the key changes:

▪︎ Non-payment of rent: The termination notice period for unpaid rent will change to 7 days for the affected tenancies, down from 14 days for most monthly tenancies.

▪︎ Repeated late rent payments: The regulations will specify that repeatedly failing to pay rent within 7 days of the due date on at least three occasions within six months can constitute a persistent failure to pay rent. This does not mean three late payments automatically result in eviction; the LTB process still applies.

▪︎ Tenant issues at rent-arrears hearings: New rules will require a tenant raising certain issues at a landlord’s arrears hearing to pay half of the claimed rent arrears, subject to the rules and exceptions, with payment generally due no later than seven days before the hearing.

▪︎ Personal-use evictions: New rules will allow landlords giving at least 120 days’ notice in certain personal-use situations to avoid the current one-month compensation requirement, subject to the legislation.

▪︎ Fixed-term leases: Changes will also affect what happens when certain fixed-term leases come to an end.

Some other changes have already taken effect, including the mandatory Landlord and Tenant Board payment agreement form for certain repayment plans, which became effective July 1, 2026.

These changes could affect both tenants and landlords when dealing with rent payments, notices and disputes before the Landlord and Tenant Board.

What do you think about these changes? Could they affect you as a tenant or landlord?
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