N9 vs N11 in Ontario

The difference in one table

An N9 is a notice one person gives. An N11 is an agreement two people make. That single difference drives everything else about the two forms.

	Form N9	Form N11
Full name	Tenant's Notice to End the Tenancy	Agreement to End the Tenancy
Who signs	The tenant or tenants	The landlord and the tenant
What it is	A one-sided notice that you are leaving	A mutual agreement on an end date
Notice period	A minimum notice period applies, and the date must line up with the rental period	The date is whatever both sides agree to
Can it end a fixed term early	No	Yes, if both sides genuinely agree
Who it is filed with	Given to the landlord, not filed with the Board	Given to the other party, not filed with the Board

Both forms come from the Landlord and Tenant Board. Download the current version from the Board before you complete either one, because the forms are updated from time to time.

When the N9 is the right form

Use an N9 when leaving is your decision and you can give the required notice ending on a date that works under the rules. That covers most ordinary move outs.

• You rent month to month and you want to leave at the end of a rental period.
• Your fixed term is ending and you do not want it to continue.
• You are moving for work, school or family and you can plan the date around the notice period.
• You want a clean written record that you gave notice, with nothing depending on the landlord's cooperation.

The N9 has two rules that trip people up: the termination date has to be the last day of a rental period, and it has to give at least the minimum notice the Board's instructions set out for your type of tenancy. Confirm both against the instructions printed on the current form. The step by step walkthrough, including a worked example of choosing the date, is in how to fill out an N9 form, and you can complete it on screen with the fillable Ontario LTB Form N9.

When the N11 is the right form

Use an N11 when you and the landlord both want the tenancy to end on a date that an N9 could not reach, and you both sign freely. It is the only one of the two that can end a fixed term early.

• You want out before your fixed term ends and the landlord agrees.
• You want to leave sooner than the notice period would allow and the landlord is happy to re-rent.
• The landlord has offered something to end the tenancy early and you have decided, on your own terms, to accept.
• Both sides simply want an agreed, documented end date with no dispute.

Because it is an agreement, an N11 has no notice period to calculate. That is its advantage and also its risk. Once you sign it, you have agreed to leave on that date. The fillable form is at Ontario LTB Form N11.

When you should not sign an N11

Do not sign an N11 because you feel you have to. An agreement signed under pressure is still an agreement on its face, and untangling it later is much harder than declining in the first place. Stop and get advice if any of these apply.

• You are being told to sign it "or else", or being given a deadline of minutes or hours.
• It is presented as routine paperwork at move in. An agreement to end a tenancy signed at the start of a tenancy is a warning sign, not a formality.
• The landlord wants the unit for their own use, for a purchaser, or for a renovation. Those situations have their own forms and their own tenant protections, and signing an N11 can replace them with nothing.
• You are being offered money and you do not know what the alternative process would give you.
• You do not have somewhere else to live on the date written on the form.

None of that means an N11 is a trap. Plenty of them are signed happily by both sides. It means the form should reflect an agreement you actually wanted.

How to choose: a short decision list

1. Is leaving your own decision? If no, read whatever notice you received before you sign anything.
2. Are you inside a fixed term? If yes, an N9 cannot end it early. Your options are an N11, an assignment, or a sublet.
3. Can you wait out the notice period? If yes, the N9 keeps the decision entirely in your hands.
4. Does the landlord agree to an earlier date, in writing? If yes, an N11 is the clean way to record it.
5. Are you under pressure? If yes, sign nothing today and call a community legal clinic.

Filling in either form

The mechanics are the same for both. Use the exact names and address from your lease, complete every field, and keep proof of delivery.

• Download the current form from the Landlord and Tenant Board.
• Enter the rental unit address, including the unit number, exactly as it appears on your lease.
• Name every tenant on the lease. On an N11, everyone who is a party has to sign.
• Enter the termination date. On an N9 that date has to satisfy the notice rules. On an N11 it is the agreed date.
• Sign, date and keep a copy, and note how and when you delivered it.

You do not need a printer for any of this. Open the official PDF in the free fill a PDF tool, type your answers, add your signature with sign PDF, and download the finished copy. The file stays in your browser on your own device.

What happens after the tenancy ends

Whichever form you used, the end of a tenancy generates a last round of paperwork. Sort it out while everyone is still talking.

• Confirm in writing how a rent deposit will be applied to your final period.
• Ask for receipts for anything you paid in cash or by cheque, using the Ontario rent receipt.
• Take dated photos of the unit on the day you hand back the keys.
• Give the landlord a forwarding address in writing.
• If a refund is coming to you by direct deposit, see how to get a void cheque rather than handing over a signed cheque.

Next step

Decide which form fits using the list above, then open the fillable Form N9 or Form N11 and complete it on screen for free. If you want to understand the lease the notice is ending, read the Ontario lease agreement guide. This article is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic.