How to Get Rent Back When an Ontario Landlord Breaks an Above-Guideline Rent Agreement

When can you use Form T4 to recover an above-guideline rent increase?

Form T4 is a specific Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board application. It is not the general procedure for challenging every rent increase or every maintenance problem.

You can use it when you and your landlord signed Form N10, Agreement to Increase the Rent Above the Guideline, and the landlord failed to perform all or part of what the agreement required. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act also permits relief where the agreement was based on work the landlord said had been done but was not done, or services the landlord said had been provided but were not provided.

Section 121 of the Residential Tenancies Act allows a landlord and tenant to agree to an increase above the guideline in exchange for a specified capital expenditure or a new or additional service. An increase under this type of agreement cannot exceed the guideline plus 3% of the previous lawful rent.

What is the deadline to file Form T4?

You must file Form T4 within two years after the rent increase became effective. The legislation states that an application under section 122 cannot be made more than two years after the increase takes effect.

Do not calculate the deadline from the day you discovered the problem or from the date the landlord missed a promised completion date. The relevant statutory reference point is the date the rent increase became effective.

How much rent can the Landlord and Tenant Board order back?

The LTB may determine that some or all of the rent increase above the guideline was invalid from the day it took effect. It may then order a rebate of money consequently owing to the tenant or former tenant.

This means a T4 application is focused on the portion of the increase that was above the normal guideline and connected to the Form N10 agreement. The amount returned depends on what the Board decides after considering the agreement and evidence; filing Form T4 does not automatically guarantee repayment of the entire increase.

What do you need before filing?

The LTB requires a completed T4 application and the applicable filing fee. The instructions also say you should include a copy of the signed Form N10 and additional supporting documents related to the agreement.

• Signed Form N10 showing the agreed increase and what the landlord agreed to do or provide.
• The date on which the increased rent took effect.
• The amount of the rent increase that was above the applicable guideline.
• A clear explanation of which terms the landlord failed to fulfil.
• Your requested rent history covering the previous two years, or your entire tenancy if you have lived there for less than two years.
• Relevant evidence supporting your account of what was promised and what was not completed or provided.

Complete the names and addresses carefully. If there are more tenants or landlords than the form has room for, the LTB instructions direct applicants to use a Schedule of Parties.

Calculate the amount above the guideline, not simply the full increase

Form T4 asks for the amount of the increase that was above the guideline. In practical terms, this means distinguishing the normal guideline portion from the additional amount agreed to under Form N10. Use the figures applicable when your own increase took effect rather than copying an example from an older LTB form or guide.

How much does a T4 application cost?

As verified on September 3, 2026, the LTB lists the Form T4 application fee as $53. Unlike certain applications that receive a lower fee through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, the current fee table lists T4 at $53.

The LTB also provides a fee-waiver process for people who meet its financial eligibility requirements. A Fee Waiver Request form is available through Tribunals Ontario.

Where and how can you file Form T4?

Tribunals Ontario currently lists three regular filing routes for T4: email, mail or courier, and in-person filing at a ServiceOntario centre that accepts LTB applications.

File Form T4 by email

Save a completed electronic T4 form or scan a completed paper form and email it to ltbpayments@ontario.ca. Tribunals Ontario instructs applicants to put the rental unit address and application type in the email subject line.

Under the current filing instructions, after submitting the application by email you will receive a secure payment portal link from the LTB. Payment can be made by credit card or debit credit card through that link, and the link expires after three calendar days. Do not put credit card information in an email; the LTB states that emailed applications containing credit card information will be deleted and not processed.

File by mail or courier

You can mail or courier the T4 to an LTB office. Current LTB payment information allows applicable mail or courier payments using the methods specified by the Board, including certified cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance and supported card-payment arrangements.

Tribunals Ontario warns that applications filed by mail or courier may experience processing delays.

File at a participating ServiceOntario centre

Some ServiceOntario centres accept LTB applications in person. Check that the location accepts LTB filings before attending. The LTB's current fee information permits payment at participating ServiceOntario locations using the payment methods listed for in-person filings.

Do not use Form T4 for the wrong type of landlord dispute

Form T4 requires the specific Form N10 above-guideline rent agreement described by the LTB. A repair or maintenance dispute that is not about an unfulfilled N10 agreement may require a different LTB procedure. Similarly, a dispute over a security or damage deposit is not converted into a T4 claim merely because it involves money.

If your issue concerns money held after you moved out rather than a broken N10 agreement, see Helpydo's guide on getting a security or damage deposit back after moving out.

What rules apply to the original Form N10 agreement?

Ontario law limits how a section 121 agreement can work. The agreement must use the Board-approved form and identify the new rent, the tenant's cancellation right and the effective date. A tenant may cancel the agreement by giving written notice within five days after signing, and the agreement cannot come into force earlier than six days after it is signed.

The above-guideline portion is permitted where the landlord has carried out or agrees to carry out a specified capital expenditure, or has provided or agrees to provide a new or additional service, in exchange for the increase. If the landlord later fails to perform what was promised, section 122 provides the basis for the tenant or former tenant's T4 remedy.

Common Form T4 mistakes to avoid

• Missing the two-year filing deadline.
• Using T4 when there was no Form N10 agreement to increase rent above the guideline.
• Entering the entire rent increase instead of calculating the portion charged above the guideline.
• Failing to explain specifically which obligations in the agreement were not fulfilled.
• Leaving out the required rent history.
• Failing to include the application fee or an applicable fee-waiver request.
• Emailing credit card details to the LTB instead of using the secure payment process.
• Discarding the signed N10, correspondence or other evidence relevant to what the landlord promised.

What happens after you file?

LTB staff review applications for completeness and whether they were filed on time. Tribunals Ontario warns that errors can result in an application being refused or dismissed, although an applicant may be contacted to correct errors in some circumstances.

The LTB has not published a specific Form T4 processing or hearing time, so there is no reliable official number of days that applies to every T4 case. Keep your filing and payment records and follow the instructions issued by the Board for your case.

If the Board finds that the landlord failed to meet the agreement in a way covered by section 122, it can invalidate some or all of the above-guideline portion from its effective date and order the resulting amount owing to be rebated.