How to File a T6 Maintenance Application Against Your Ontario Landlord

When should you file a T6 maintenance application?

Form T6, Tenant Application about Maintenance, is the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board application for tenants who say their landlord has failed to repair or maintain the rental property or has failed to comply with applicable health, safety, housing or maintenance standards.

Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act requires a landlord to provide and maintain the residential complex, including rental units, in a good state of repair and fit for habitation and to comply with applicable maintenance and safety standards.

You can use a T6 for problems affecting your individual rental unit or the residential complex. The application can also be used by a former tenant when the applicable filing requirements are met.

What is the deadline to file Form T6?

If the maintenance problem is still ongoing, the T6 instructions do not impose the 1-year-after-repair deadline because the problem has not yet been fixed.

If the problem has been fixed, you must file the T6 within 1 year after the date it was fixed. Missing that limitation period can result in the claim not proceeding.

What is your landlord responsible for maintaining?

Section 20 of Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act makes the landlord responsible for keeping the residential complex and rental units in a good state of repair, fit for habitation and compliant with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards.

The obligation applies even if the tenant knew about the state of disrepair before entering into the tenancy agreement.

Examples of T6 issues can include failures involving essential building components, plumbing, heating, appliances supplied by the landlord, common areas or other repair and maintenance obligations where the facts fall within the Residential Tenancies Act and applicable standards.

Tell the landlord and document the problem first

The LTB's maintenance guidance says that if a tenant tells the landlord about a problem and the landlord does not fix it, does not fix it properly or does not fix it quickly enough, the tenant can file a T6.

Form T6 asks for the date you first informed the landlord about the maintenance problem. Keep evidence showing that notice was given.

Useful records can include:

• photos showing the condition and how it changed over time;
• emails, text messages, letters or maintenance requests sent to the landlord;
• a dated log of telephone or in-person conversations;
• invoices and receipts for expenses caused by the problem;
• municipal inspection reports, notices of violation or work orders; and
• other documents that establish the condition, duration and consequences of the maintenance problem.

How to complete Form T6

The application requires the rental-unit address, tenant details, landlord details and information about the tenancy. If additional tenants or landlords need to be named, use the applicable Schedule of Parties.

For every maintenance issue, explain:

• what the problem is;
• when it started;
• whether it is still ongoing;
• if fixed, when and by whom it was fixed;
• what or who may have caused the problem, if known; and
• when you first informed the landlord.

Use approximate dates if you genuinely do not know an exact date, but provide enough detail for the landlord and the LTB to understand the allegations.

What can the LTB order on a T6 application?

Form T6 provides several possible remedies. You can request more than one where the facts support them, and the LTB may grant different remedies from those specifically requested if permitted by law.

Rent abatement

You can ask for a rent abatement, meaning relief from part or all of the rent for a specified period. State the dollar amount requested, your rent and how frequently you pay it, and explain how you calculated the requested abatement.

Damaged or destroyed property

If your property was damaged, destroyed or disposed of because of the landlord's failure to repair or maintain the property, you can ask the LTB to order compensation for reasonable repair or replacement costs.

Out-of-pocket expenses

You can ask for reimbursement of reasonable expenses paid or expected to be paid to third parties because of the maintenance problem. Explain each expense and how the landlord's failure caused it.

Repairs or replacement paid for by the tenant

If you performed work yourself or paid for a repair or replacement because the landlord failed to act, you can ask the LTB to authorize that work and order the landlord to reimburse your costs.

Order requiring the landlord to repair the property

You can ask the LTB to require the landlord to complete specified repairs, replacement or other necessary work by a deadline.

Order preventing a rent increase

You can ask the LTB to prevent the landlord from increasing the rent until serious maintenance problems covered by an LTB repair order have been corrected.

Ending the tenancy

The LTB's maintenance guidance states that termination of the tenancy can be ordered where the tenant asks for it or the rental unit is unsafe, subject to the evidence and the Board's authority in the case.

How much money can the LTB order?

The current T6 instructions state that the most the LTB can order based on the monetary claims in the application is $50,000.

If you believe the landlord owes you more than $50,000 and you want to pursue the entire amount, the T6 instructions advise that you should consider the appropriate court route instead. Once the LTB issues an order on the claim, the instructions warn that you no longer retain a claim to amounts above that limit arising from the same claim.

How much does it cost to file Form T6?

The current Landlord and Tenant Board filing fee for a T6 is $53. If you file through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, the fee is reduced to $48.

LTB filing fees are non-refundable. If you cannot afford the fee, you can request a fee waiver if you meet the LTB's financial eligibility rules.

How to file a T6 online

The Tribunals Ontario Portal is the LTB's designated online route for Form T6. The portal lets you submit the application, pay the filing fee, check the status of the file, upload evidence and access dispute-resolution functions.

The online T6 fee is $48. The portal accepts the payment methods specified by Tribunals Ontario, including eligible credit and debit cards.

Can you file Form T6 by mail or courier?

Yes. The current T6 instructions also permit filing by mail or courier to the appropriate Landlord and Tenant Board office.

For mail or courier filing, the T6 instructions allow payment by certified cheque, money order, Visa or MasterCard under the LTB's payment procedures. Certified cheques and money orders must be payable to the Minister of Finance. Follow the current filing instructions before sending the application because filing locations and payment procedures can change.

What evidence should you prepare for the hearing?

You are responsible for proving the maintenance allegations. The LTB's maintenance guidance specifically identifies evidence such as printed photographs, written correspondence with the landlord, logs of communications and municipal or provincial work orders.

Depending on your remedies, also preserve receipts, invoices, estimates and evidence connecting property damage or additional expenses to the landlord's maintenance failure.

Evidence is strongest when it establishes a clear timeline: when the defect started, when the landlord learned about it, what opportunities the landlord had to correct it, how long the problem continued and what consequences you experienced.

Do not stop paying rent because of maintenance problems

Do not simply withhold your rent because your landlord has not completed repairs. The LTB warns that a landlord can apply to evict a tenant if the full rent is not paid when due.

A tenant who has filed a T6 can instead ask the LTB for permission to pay some or all rent to the Board rather than to the landlord while the maintenance application is being decided. This requires the separate Request to Pay Rent to the Board on a Tenant Application about Maintenance, and the LTB decides whether to grant the request.

Can you also contact your municipality?

The LTB's maintenance guidance explains that a local municipality may inspect a rental property for bylaw violations and can issue a notice of violation or a municipal work order requiring repairs by a deadline.

Municipal enforcement does not replace a T6 claim for remedies such as a rent abatement or compensation, but inspection records and work orders can become useful evidence in an LTB proceeding.

What happens after the T6 is filed?

LTB staff review applications for completeness, timeliness and filing requirements. Errors can cause an application to be refused or dismissed, and staff may contact you to correct certain problems.

After a T6 proceeds, the LTB schedules the matter and provides procedural information. Both the tenant and landlord have the right to participate and explain their positions. Be prepared to testify about the maintenance problems and present the documents or other evidence supporting each claim and requested remedy.

The LTB does not publish a guaranteed processing or hearing time specifically for every T6 case, so avoid relying on an unofficial fixed number of days.

Common T6 mistakes to avoid

• Failing to notify the landlord: document when the landlord first learned about the maintenance problem.
• Missing the 1-year deadline: if the problem was fixed, file within 1 year after the repair date.
• Providing vague allegations: identify each problem, relevant dates and how it affected you.
• Claiming money without calculations: explain how every requested rent abatement, expense or compensation amount was determined.
• Withholding rent without an LTB order: keep paying rent unless the Board authorizes another arrangement.
• Discarding evidence after repairs: photographs, messages, receipts and inspection records may still be necessary to prove a past problem.
• Filing without the required fee: the application can be refused if the fee or an approved fee-waiver arrangement is missing.

Related Ontario rental procedures

A T6 is specifically about maintenance and repair obligations. If your dispute instead involves an above-guideline rent increase, Helpydo separately explains how to seek rent back when an Ontario landlord breaks an above-guideline rent agreement.