Ottawa renters and landlords are dealing with a new set of provincial rules starting today, September 21, 2026, as changes tied to Ontario's Bill 60 come into force across the province, including here in the capital.
Faster deadlines on missed rent
The biggest change affects what happens when a monthly or yearly tenant falls behind on rent. Under the new rules, a landlord issuing an N4 notice for missed rent can now give a tenant just seven days to pay, down from the previous 14-day deadline. Two outlets confirm the change: as Global News reported, "if a yearly or monthly tenant misses rent, a landlord can now give an N4 form that provides only a seven-day deadline to pay," a sharp cut from the old two-week window that NOW Toronto also confirmed, noting tenants "will only have seven days to pay back owed rent."
The new rules also introduce a formal definition of "persistent" late payment. A tenant is now considered persistently late if they fail to pay within seven days of the due date at least three separate times in a six-month span, a pattern that can carry its own consequences at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).
New hurdles at eviction hearings
Bill 60 also changes what tenants can do once a case reaches a hearing. If a tenant wants to raise last-minute claims about late payments at an LTB hearing, they must first pay 50 per cent of the overdue rent before they're allowed to raise those issues. NOW Toronto reported that tenants now have to make that 50 per cent payment to their landlord at least seven days before a scheduled eviction hearing in order to raise such claims at all.
Moving in without paying compensation
The rules also touch "landlord's own use" evictions. A landlord can move themselves or a family member into a rental unit without paying the tenant compensation, as long as they serve an N12 notice at least 120 days before the move-in date. NOW Toronto's reporting lines up with that: landlords must serve the N12 "at least 120 days before the scheduled termination date to avoid paying renters one month of rent as compensation."
A split reaction
The changes are landing differently depending on who you ask. Tony Irwin, president of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario, framed the update as a fairness fix, saying "it really is about just trying to provide some greater balance and fairness to a system." But Daniel Tucker-Simmons of Avant Law took the opposite view, arguing the rules make it "easier to evict people at a time when people are unable to pay their rent."
The Landlord and Tenant Board itself confirms the shift is part of a broader rollout tied to the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act. Tribunals Ontario says some changes took effect July 1, 2026, with others tied to Bills 60 and 97 landing this September, and that it will keep issuing guidance as those pieces come into force.
What it means for Ottawa
For Ottawa tenants, the shorter N4 window means less breathing room to catch up on rent before a landlord can move toward eviction proceedings, while landlords get a clearer, faster process for both missed-rent cases and family move-ins. The changes arrive weeks after one of the city's largest rental portfolios changed hands: Minto's 826-unit, 34-building Parkwood Hills portfolio was sold to Montreal's Woodland Capital and Forum, as ottown's earlier report detailed, meaning thousands of Ottawa renters are already answering to new ownership just as the rules governing that relationship shift under them.
Sources: Global News, NOW Toronto, Tribunals Ontario (Landlord and Tenant Board)
