If you're an Ontario tenant dealing with a bad landlord, you have legal options. The Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) has specific forms for different types of problems — and using the wrong one can delay your case or result in dismissal. The two most common tenant applications are the T6 and the T2.
This guide explains the difference, when to file each, and how to build your case.
What Is the T6 Form?
The T6 — Tenant Application about Maintenance is used when your landlord has failed to maintain the rental unit or building in a good state of repair. Under section 20 of the Residential Tenancies Act, landlords are responsible for maintaining the property to a standard that complies with health, safety, housing, and maintenance standards.
File a T6 when:
- Your landlord won't fix something that's broken (heating, plumbing, appliances that came with the unit)
- There's a pest infestation (cockroaches, bedbugs, mice) and the landlord isn't addressing it
- Common areas are not being maintained (hallways, laundry rooms, parking lots)
- The unit has mould, water damage, or structural issues the landlord is ignoring
- Essential services are not being provided (hot water, heat, electricity)
What the T6 can get you: The LTB can order the landlord to make repairs, pay you a rent abatement (a reduction in rent for the period you were affected), and in serious cases, authorize you to do the repairs and deduct the cost from rent.
What Is the T2 Form?
The T2 — Tenant Application about Tenant Rights is broader. It covers situations where the landlord has violated your rights under the RTA. This includes:
- Harassment: Persistent unwanted contact, threats, intimidation, or verbal abuse by the landlord
- Illegal entry: The landlord entering your unit without proper 24-hour written notice (or without a valid reason)
- Changing locks: The landlord changing the locks on your unit without your consent
- Withholding vital services: Deliberately shutting off utilities, removing appliances, or reducing services
- Interference with reasonable enjoyment: Actions by the landlord that substantially disrupt your ability to live normally
- Coercion: Pressuring you to sign an agreement to move out (e.g., cash-for-keys under duress)
- Bad-faith N12: Serving a personal-use eviction notice when the landlord doesn't actually intend to move in
What the T2 can get you: Rent abatement, compensation for out-of-pocket costs, a fine against the landlord, and an order to stop the offending behaviour. In severe cases, the LTB can award significant monetary compensation.
T6 vs T2: Quick Comparison
Here's the simplest way to think about it:
- T6 = The unit has a physical problem that the landlord isn't fixing (broken things, pests, mould, no heat)
- T2 = The landlord is doing something wrong to you personally (harassing you, entering illegally, withholding services, violating your rights)
Some situations blur the line. For example, if your landlord deliberately shuts off your heat to pressure you to move out, that could be both a maintenance issue (T6) and a rights violation (T2).
Can You File Both?
Yes. You can file a T6 and a T2 at the same time. The LTB may schedule them for the same hearing since they involve the same landlord and tenant. Filing both is appropriate when you have distinct maintenance complaints and rights violations.
Example: Your apartment has a serious mould problem that the landlord has ignored for months (T6). You've complained repeatedly, and the landlord has now started harassing you — entering your unit without notice, threatening you, and telling you to move out (T2). You would file both forms.
Evidence You Need
The LTB hearing is your chance to prove your case. Here's what to bring for each form:
For a T6 (Maintenance):
- Photos and videos of the issue, with dates. Take them at multiple points in time to show the problem persists.
- Written complaints to the landlord (emails, texts, letters). Keep copies of everything you sent and any response received.
- Municipal inspection reports if you've called bylaw enforcement or public health.
- Receipts for any expenses you incurred because of the issue (e.g., buying a space heater when the furnace broke, hotel costs if the unit was uninhabitable).
- A timeline showing when the problem started, when you reported it, and what the landlord did (or didn't do) in response.
For a T2 (Rights Violation):
- Written records of harassment — texts, emails, voicemails, letters from the landlord.
- A log of incidents with dates, times, and descriptions. Keep this up to date.
- Witness statements if other people observed the behaviour (neighbours, family members, friends who were present).
- Police reports if you called the police due to threats or illegal entry.
- Proof of illegal entry — if the landlord entered without notice, note the date and time, and what you observed.
- Any written agreements that the landlord pressured you to sign (e.g., a cash-for-keys deal you felt coerced into).
How to File
The process for both forms is the same:
- Complete the form. Generate a T6 or generate a T2 with LTB Ready in under 5 minutes.
- Pay the filing fee. Currently $53 for each application. Fee waiver is available if you can demonstrate financial hardship.
- File with the LTB. Submit online through the LTB's e-filing portal, by mail, or in person.
- Wait for a hearing date. The LTB will notify both you and your landlord. Current wait times are typically 2–6 months.
- Attend the hearing. Present your evidence and explain how the landlord's actions or inaction have affected you. See our hearing preparation guide.
Tips for Success
- Start documenting now. Even if you're not ready to file yet, begin keeping records of every issue and interaction with your landlord.
- Put complaints in writing. Verbal complaints are hard to prove. Follow up every conversation with an email summarizing what was discussed.
- Don't withhold rent. It's tempting, but withholding rent without an LTB order can give your landlord grounds to serve you an N4 notice for non-payment.
- Be specific about remedies. The LTB wants to know exactly what you're asking for — a specific dollar amount for rent abatement, specific repairs, specific orders to stop certain behaviour.
Not Sure Which Form You Need?
Take the LTB Ready form quiz — answer a few questions about your situation and we'll tell you exactly which application to file. Or browse our tenant forms — T2 and T6 are each just $9.