How to End a Tenancy in Ontario by Notice or Agreement: N9 vs. N11

An Ontario tenancy can end without a Landlord and Tenant Board hearing in two ways: the tenant serves an N9 notice, or the landlord and tenant sign an N11 mutual agreement. Both are different from a landlord-initiated N12 or N13, and neither form guarantees the tenant actually leaves — a landlord who understands how to serve each one correctly, and what to do if the other side doesn’t follow through, avoids the mistakes that make a notice or agreement fall apart.

How a Tenant Ends a Tenancy on Their Own: The N9 Notice

A tenant who wants to move out on their own initiative gives the landlord a completed N9 (Tenant’s Notice to End the Tenancy), stating the date they intend to leave — and it needs to meet the Residential Tenancies Act’s minimum notice-period requirement, so confirm the current minimum with the LTB rather than relying on a remembered number.

The N9 is a one-way notice: the tenant is telling the landlord they’re leaving, not asking permission. That has a practical upside — because the tenant gave the notice themselves, it’s much harder for them to later claim they were pressured into it. A landlord can accept an N9 that gives less than the required minimum notice and get the unit back sooner if the tenant genuinely leaves on that date — but with an important limit: the Board can’t enforce a below-minimum N9. If the tenant changes their mind and stays, an application built on a short-notice N9 is liable to be dismissed for insufficient notice, so a short N9 only works when the tenant actually follows through voluntarily.

By itself, though, an N9 doesn’t force anyone out — it’s only evidence of intent. If the N9 gave proper notice and a landlord wants a guaranteed way to act should the tenant not leave as promised, they can file the signed notice with the Board for an enforcement order in advance, rather than waiting to see whether the tenant follows through. That step costs an application fee (check the LTB’s current fee schedule) and isn’t mandatory, but it matters most once the landlord has already committed to a new incoming tenant — and it’s another reason a below-minimum N9 is riskier than it looks, since the Board won’t enforce one.

Ending a Tenancy by Mutual Agreement: The N11

An N11 (Agreement to End a Tenancy) records that both the landlord and tenant agreed, in writing, to end the tenancy on a set date. It’s most often used in a negotiated move-out — a cash-for-keys deal is the common example — and, like the N9, it doesn’t enforce itself.

The N9 and N11 are frequently treated as interchangeable, but they aren’t: an N9 is unilateral (the tenant decides and notifies), while an N11 is bilateral (both sides negotiate and consent). That difference matters if the arrangement is ever disputed. Because an N11 depends on both parties’ agreement, it’s also the one more likely to be challenged after the fact — a tenant could claim they only signed because the landlord pressured them. A landlord protects against that by keeping the negotiation and the terms in writing, not relying on a verbal understanding that a payment or a move-out date was agreed to.

Filing a signed N11 with the Board for an enforcement order in advance is generally worth doing more often than with an N9, precisely because the “mutual” nature of the agreement gives a tenant more room to say later that they changed their mind.

Who Ends the Tenancy, and Which Form Applies

Ending a tenancy always comes down to who’s driving it: the tenant (N9), both parties together (N11), or the landlord for a specific legal reason (N12 or N13). Each route uses a different form and a different process.

The N9 and N11 end a tenancy by choice — neither one requires the landlord to prove a legal ground the way an N12 or N13 does. If a tenancy needs to end because of unpaid rent, damage, or another cause the landlord has to establish, that’s a different track entirely: see CRESI’s guide to the Ontario eviction process for cause-based grounds and LTB filing, or the N4/N12 guide for non-payment and own-use mechanics specifically. This guide covers only the by-choice route — notice and agreement — and how to make either one valid.

How to Serve an N9 or N11 So It Actually Holds Up

A notice or agreement only protects a landlord if it’s filled out completely, signed, dated, and delivered using a method the Residential Tenancies Act recognizes as valid service. An incomplete form or an informal handoff is one of the most common reasons a landlord can’t enforce the agreed move-out date later.

1. Use the current official form. The LTB periodically updates its forms — confirm the version being used is the current one rather than an old saved copy.
2. Fill in every required field. A form missing a name, address, or date is an easy target if the notice or agreement is ever disputed.
3. Get it signed and dated by the party giving the notice (the tenant, for an N9) or by both parties (for an N11).
4. Deliver it using a method the Act recognizes. Check the LTB’s current guidance on accepted service methods — hand-delivery and other recognized methods each have their own rules, and an unrecognized method can make an otherwise valid notice unenforceable.
5. Keep proof of service and a copy for the file. Disputes usually turn on whether — and how — a notice was actually delivered, not on whether the underlying reason for leaving was legitimate.

Common Mistakes That Make an N9 or N11 Void or Unenforceable

The mistakes that undo a notice-or-agreement move-out are almost always about paperwork, not substance — using the wrong form, leaving out required details, or treating a verbal understanding as if it were binding.

• Never collecting the signed, written form. A tenant mentioning they’re planning to move out is not the same as a completed N9 — get the form itself, not just the intention.
• Committing to a new tenant before the current one has actually vacated and confirmed it in writing. If the outgoing tenant ends up needing more time, a landlord who has already signed a new lease with an incoming tenant risks being in breach of that new contract.
• Relying on the N9 or N11 alone to guarantee possession, instead of filing for an enforcement order when the date is critical — a firm sale closing or an already-signed new lease are the situations where this matters most.
• Not documenting an N11 in writing. An oral “mutual agreement” is far easier for a tenant to later dispute as coerced or nonexistent than a signed document.
• Using an outdated form version or leaving required fields blank — both are avoidable reasons a notice fails to hold up if it’s ever challenged.

What Happens After the Notice Period Ends or the Agreed Date Arrives

If the tenant moves out on the date stated in the N9, or the date agreed to in the N11, the tenancy simply ends — no Board hearing is required. If they don’t, the notice or agreement doesn’t evict anyone by itself: the landlord has to apply to the Board, though a properly completed and previously filed N9 or N11 can support a faster enforcement order than starting a cause-based application from scratch.

Once the unit is vacant, the practical next step is turnover — cleaning, touch-ups, and any outstanding maintenance before re-renting. If a tenant disputes the notice or simply doesn’t leave and no enforcement order is already in place, that moves into the Board’s regular process; see CRESI’s guide to the Ontario eviction process for what happens from there.