Tenant Moved Out Owing Rent in Ontario? How to File an L10 at the LTB

By StrikeLM. LTB forms, fees, and rules checked on October 11, 2026, against Tribunals Ontario and ontario.ca. General information, not legal advice.

Your tenant moved out owing rent in Ontario, and you want to know if you can still go after it. You can. The Landlord and Tenant Board handles it through Form L10, Application to Collect Money a Former Tenant Owes, and you have 365 days from the day they moved out to file.

This guide walks an Ontario landlord through the whole L10: what it covers, how to file and pay, how to serve someone who doesn't live at your place anymore, what happens at the hearing, what comes off the order, and how to collect once you have it. There's a worked example with made-up numbers in the middle.

If anything here disagrees with the LTB's site on the day you file, go with the LTB.

Why an L10 order is worth filing

Your rent ledger proves what you think you're owed. An LTB order turns that into a decision that a named person owes you a set amount, and Ontario's Small Claims Court can enforce it like its own judgment. Garnishment, an examination hearing, a writ, and order-backed credit reporting all start there.

Lots of landlords skip the L10 because the tenant's gone and the unit needs work. The problem with waiting is the one-year limit. Once it passes, the LTB can't help you, and your ledger becomes a story with no teeth.

The one-year L10 deadline starts at move-out

The LTB says you must file the L10 no more than 365 days after the former tenant moved out. A tenant who left on March 31 gives you until about March 31 of the next year. Put a reminder in your calendar two months before that.

Pin the move-out date down with proof, since everything counts from it. The text where they said they were out, the key return date, a move-out inspection, or dated photos of the empty unit all work.

The date also limits the rent you can claim. Under the LTB's rent arrears guideline, the obligation to pay rent ends once the tenancy is over and the tenant has left. If they had agreed to end the tenancy on a date, rent is owed up to that date.

If they walked out without any notice or agreement, section 88 of the Residential Tenancies Act sets the end point. Arrears run to the earliest termination date they could have given in a proper notice, counted from when you knew or should have known they'd left. The LTB will also look at whether you tried to re-rent right away, and it won't award rent for any period a new tenant is paying you.

What Form L10 covers, and what it doesn't

The L10 is for money a former tenant owes. You can claim:

• rent they didn't pay while they lived there
• NSF cheque charges and related administration charges, if you're also claiming rent or compensation
• heat, electricity, or water the lease required them to pay
• damage the tenant, a guest, or an occupant caused wilfully or negligently

Normal wear and tear isn't claimable. The LTB's limit is $50,000. If they owe more than that and you want all of it, take it to court instead, because once the LTB rules you can't come back for the rest.

The L1 and L9 are for tenants still living in the unit. The LTB says neither can be filed once the tenant has moved out, so a former tenant always means an L10.

Filing the L10 and paying the fee

You can file on the Tribunals Ontario Portal, by mail, by courier, or at some ServiceOntario centres. The fee is $186 on the portal or $201 any other way, so file online if you can. The L10 instructions tell you to add the application fee to the total you're claiming, and a fee waiver request is available if you qualify.

Attach a clear calculation. Show each month's rent charged, every payment received, and the balance. If you're claiming utilities, attach the bills and point to the lease clause. If you're claiming damage, attach the inspection report, dated photos, and invoices or quotes.

Serving a former tenant in Ontario

Once you file, the LTB sends you a Notice of Hearing. You have to give the former tenant a copy of the Notice and the application at least 30 days before the hearing, and the LTB says you can't leave it at the rental unit, because they don't live there anymore.

You need their current address. Start with the forwarding address, then anything on the rental application, then the email you used during the tenancy. If you reach out to a reference or emergency contact, keep it to what your lease or rental application allows, and check Ontario's privacy rules first. Keep a dated log of every attempt. The member may ask how you found the address.

Hand delivery, mail, and courier all count. Email only counts if they agreed in writing during the tenancy to accept documents by email and you can prove they got it.

If none of those will reach them, file a Request to use Alternative Service at least 40 days before the hearing. After serving, file a certificate of service at least 20 days before the hearing. Skip that step and the LTB can cancel the hearing and keep your fee.

What the LTB hearing looks like

Send all your evidence to the former tenant and the LTB at least 7 days before the hearing. Your Notice of Hearing gives the date, time, and method. If it's by video, there's a phone dial-in. More prep tips are in [how to prepare for a rent-arrears hearing](/blog/articles/how-to-prepare-for-rent-arrears-hearing), and [why landlords lose at the LTB](/blog/articles/common-reasons-landlords-lose-at-ltb) covers the evidence gaps that sink files.

Walk the member through your ledger line by line. If the tenant shows up and disputes an amount, answer with documents, such as the lease, the bill, or the photo. If a properly served tenant doesn't attend, the member decides on your evidence alone, so every dollar still needs support.

If you don't attend, the LTB's guideline says your application is dismissed as abandoned. If you can't make the date, ask to reschedule as early as you can.

What comes off your Ontario order

Two things shrink the award, and landlords miss both.

First, the last month's rent deposit. The LTB's guideline says that once the tenancy has ended, any rent deposit you hold and the interest owing on it, up to the hearing date, come off the amount ordered. Don't claim the full arrears and keep the deposit too.

Second, payments after filing. Anything the tenant pays after you file comes off as well, so bring an updated ledger to the hearing.

Worked example: an Ontario L10 for $4,200 in rent

Made-up numbers to show the steps. Your dates and amounts will differ.

A Hamilton basement unit rents for $2,100 a month. The tenant pays nothing for August or September 2026 and moves out on September 30, texting a forwarding address in Burlington that day. The lease made them pay hydro, and they left $310 in unpaid hydro bills that the landlord covered. The landlord holds a $2,100 last month's rent deposit.

1. September 30. The landlord saves the text, photographs the empty unit, and sets the L10 deadline at about September 30, 2027.
2. October 14. They file the L10 on the portal: $4,200 rent, $310 hydro with the bills and lease clause attached, plus the $186 fee. Total claimed: $4,696.
3. Notice of Hearing. They mail the Notice and application to the Burlington address more than 30 days before the hearing, then file the certificate of service at least 20 days before.
4. Evidence. They send the ledger, lease, hydro bills, and texts to the tenant and the LTB at least 7 days out.
5. Hearing. The tenant doesn't log on. The member decides on the landlord's evidence and deducts the $2,100 deposit and its interest.
6. Order. The order comes to $2,596, less the deposit interest.

That's the number the landlord can enforce, and the number a credit-reporting submission would use.

Ontario L10 document checklist

• Signed lease and any renewals
• Rent ledger showing every charge and payment with dates
• Proof of the move-out date
• Proof of the current address and how you got it
• Utility bills plus the lease clause, if you're claiming utilities
• Move-in and move-out inspection reports, dated photos, and invoices, if you're claiming damage
• Last month's rent deposit record: amount, date received, interest paid
• Ads and showing dates, if they left without notice and you're claiming rent for the period after
• Your service log, receipts, and the certificate of service

Mistakes Ontario landlords make with the L10

• Filing an L1 or L9. Once they've moved out, it's an L10.
• Serving at the old unit. The LTB won't accept it, and you lose the hearing date.
• Forgetting the deposit. Claiming full arrears while holding last month's rent makes your math wrong on its face.
• Claiming rent after a new tenant moved in. The LTB won't double-pay you, and it'll ask about your re-rental efforts.
• Missing the certificate of service. No certificate, no hearing.
• Padding the claim. Normal wear and tear, or charges the lease doesn't support, make the whole claim look unreliable.
• Waiting too long. One year goes fast when you're turning over a unit.

After the L10 order: collecting through Small Claims Court

The LTB doesn't collect for you. Start with a demand letter that encloses the order, states the balance, and gives a deadline. If nothing comes, take the order to Small Claims Court. Ontario's fee schedule, checked October 11, 2026, lists:

At an examination hearing, the former tenant has to answer questions under oath about their job, income, property, and bank accounts, and the notice must be served at least 30 days ahead. Wage garnishment in Ontario is generally capped at 20% of net wages. For a deeper look, read [is wage garnishment worth it for rent debt](/blog/articles/is-wage-garnishment-worth-it-for-rent-debt) and [what to do after a rent-arrears order](/blog/articles/what-to-do-after-rent-arrears-order).

Using an Ontario collection agency

An agency can chase the order for you, for a share of what it recovers. Here's what Ontario landlords should know before handing one a file.

How they charge. On contingency, you keep the debt and the agency keeps a percentage of what it collects. Published Canadian rates for tenant and consumer accounts run about 20% to 50%, with Openroom citing 20% to 45%, Landlord Credit Bureau 30% to 50%, and Affinity Credit Solutions publishing a 40% tenant rate. The other route is selling the debt for a lump sum. That pays pennies on the dollar. We found no Canadian price data for small debts, but a 2013 US Federal Trade Commission study put the average at 4 cents per dollar of debt.

What they'll check. Landlords who've used agencies say the agency's first move is deciding whether the tenant is worth chasing. Expect questions about whether there's an LTB order, whether they can find the tenant, whether the tenant has a job and what kind, and whether there's a bank account. A salaried job can be garnished. Cash or gig income usually can't, so they'll hunt for a bank account. If an agency passes on your file, take the hint. A garnishment needs the same things they couldn't find.

Check the registration. Ontario agencies must be registered under the Collection and Debt Settlement Services Act. Look them up in the Ontario registration directory.

Ontario's contact rules. The agency must send the tenant written notice and wait 6 days before demanding payment. After first contact, it's limited to 3 contacts in 7 days unless the tenant agrees to more. No contact between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. Monday to Saturday, Sundays only from 1 to 5 p.m., and never on a public holiday. It can contact an employer once to confirm the job, title, and work address, or about payments under a court order. It can't add its commission to the tenant's debt, so the fee comes out of what you recover.

Before you sign, ask: the rate for an LTB order, any minimum balance, upfront or closing fees, who controls and pays for court steps, whether they report to Equifax and TransUnion, whether they take a cut if the tenant pays you directly, how to end the agreement, and whether they're collecting for you or buying the debt. If the agency reports the debt to a bureau, don't report it through StrikeLM too.

Where StrikeLM fits in Ontario

StrikeLM starts where the LTB stops. Upload your LTB order plus proof you own the property or a copy of the lease, and StrikeLM submits eligible order-backed arrears to Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada within 24 hours. A ledger alone won't qualify. It costs $99 CAD per submission plus tax, one time.

Each bureau decides whether and when the information appears, so no one can promise it lands on the tenant's file or that they'll pay. StrikeLM isn't a collection agency. If the tenant pays later, update the balance. CollectorPro ($29 a month) and CollectorPro+ ($49 a month) are optional. Read more in [how order-backed credit reporting works](/blog/articles/credit-reporting-order-backed-rent-arrears).

Ontario L10 FAQ

Can I file an L10 if my tenant already moved out?

Yes. The L10 exists for exactly that. File it within 365 days of the day they moved out.

Can I use an L1 or L9 after the tenant leaves?

No. The LTB says an L1 or L9 can't be filed once the tenant has moved out. Use the L10.

Does the LTB deduct the last month's rent deposit?

Yes. Once the tenancy has ended, the LTB deducts the rent deposit and the interest owing on it from the arrears it orders.

What if I don't know my former tenant's address?

Try the forwarding address, the rental application, and the email you used. If you still can't serve them, file a Request to use Alternative Service at least 40 days before the hearing.

How much does an L10 cost?

$186 on the Tribunals Ontario Portal or $201 by mail, courier, or in person. You can add the fee to your claim.

How do I enforce an LTB order?

File it at Small Claims Court for $45, then use an examination ($68), a garnishment ($144), or a writ of seizure and sale ($68).

Can I claim rent if my tenant left without notice?

Usually, up to the earliest date a proper notice could have ended the tenancy. The LTB will check that you tried to re-rent right away.

Your next step today

Write down the move-out date and the date one year later. Then build the ledger, find the current address, and file the L10 on the portal. If anything in your file doesn't fit, call the LTB at 1-888-332-3234 (416-645-8080 in Toronto). Small landlords can also call the Landlord's Self-Help Centre at 1-800-730-3218 or 416-504-5190.

When you have the order, upload it to StrikeLM to get the arrears submitted to both credit bureaus for $99 plus tax. Other provinces are covered in our [guide to tenants who moved out owing rent](/blog/articles/tenant-moved-out-owing-rent).

General information, not legal advice. Check the LTB's site or info line before you file, and talk to a lawyer or licensed paralegal if the amount is large or the tenant is fighting it.