Form N12 Explained

ByPaul Anand September 10, 2024September 11, 2024

The importance of serving your tenants notice the right way with the right forms

In Ontario, when a landlord needs to evict a tenant at the end of their lease term, they must serve notice to their tenant using Form N12 – “Notice to End Your Tenancy Because the Landlord, Purchaser or Family Member requires the rental unit”. This form is available online at the Tribunals Ontario – Landlord & Tenant Board website.

You can give this notice to the tenant for either of the following reasons:

The first reason is that you, a member of your immediate family or a person who provides or will provide care services to you or a member of your immediate family wants to move into the rental unit and occupy it for at least one year.
The second reason is that a purchaser, a member of the purchaser’s immediate family or a person who provides or will provide care services to the purchaser or a member of the purchaser’s immediate family wants to move into the rental unit, and, the property contains no more than three residential units, and you have entered into an agreement of purchase and sale of the property.

You must either pay the tenant an amount equal to one month’s rent as compensation or offer the tenant another rental unit that is acceptable to them. If you pay the tenant compensation it must be paid on or before the termination date in the notice.

You can serve notice by the following means: You can hand it directly to the tenant or to an adult in the rental unit. You can leave it in the tenant’s mailbox or where mail is ordinarily delivered. You can place it under the door of the rental unit or through a mail slot in the door. Lastly, you can send it by courier or by mail. Note that you cannot give the tenant this notice by posting it on the door of the tenant’s rental unit.

I strongly recommend that you get expert assistance when providing this notice (lawyer or paralegal) as if any mistakes are made the notice may be considered invalid and you would have to start the entire eviction process again.