How Landlords Serve LTB Notices in Windsor

Updated October 31, 2026

An Ontario landlord can serve a notice like an N4, N5, N12 or N13 by handing it to the tenant, handing it to an apparently adult person in the rental unit, leaving it in the mailbox or where mail is ordinarily delivered (including under the door or through a mail slot), or mailing it. Posting it on the door is not allowed. Whatever method you use, you need to record it on a Certificate of Service.

The ways to give a notice

The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 says a notice is "sufficiently given" in several ways. For a tenant, these include:

• "handing it to the person"
• "by handing it to an apparently adult person in the rental unit"
• "by leaving it in the mail box where mail is ordinarily delivered to the person"
• "by sending it by mail to the last known address where the person resides or carries on business"

The Landlord and Tenant Board's own rules also allow a notice to be placed under the door of the rental unit or through a mail slot in the door, and, if there is no mail box, left at the place where mail is ordinarily delivered. The Board's rules allow email service if the person receiving it has consented in writing to service by email, and the Board can also permit email service. Without that consent, do not email a notice unless the Board has permitted it.

What you cannot do

The instructions for the N4, N5, N12 and N13 each say the same thing: "You cannot give the tenant this notice by posting it on the door of the tenant's rental unit."

This is a common mistake. Do not use this method.

Mail and deemed service

When a notice goes by mail, the Act says it "shall be deemed to have been given on the fifth day after mailing." The Board's rules also treat hand delivery as given the same day. Mail therefore adds days to your timeline.

Each notice has its own minimum termination date, and those rules have changed recently. We have left out the day counts on purpose. Check the current instructions for your specific form on the Landlord and Tenant Board site before you fill in a date. One of the Board's own brochures has been out of step with its form instructions, which is another reason to read the current instructions for the exact form you are using.

If a notice was not given the right way, the Act says it can still be treated as valid "if it is proven that its contents actually came to the attention of the person for whom it was intended within the required time period." Do not rely on that as a plan. It is a safety net for when something goes wrong.

The Certificate of Service

The Board's rules say that where required by the rules or directed by the Board, "service of a document must be confirmed by completing a Certificate of Service signed by the person who served the document and filing it with the LTB within 5 days of service." The Board describes it this way: "The Certificate of Service tells the LTB when, where and how the document was served."

For the notices above, the Certificate of Service is filed with your application. The N4 instructions say it is used "to tell the LTB when and how you gave the notice to the tenant." The person who served the notice signs it, so it matters who serves and that they keep good notes.

Check the Board's forms page for the current certificate form that applies to your situation.

Why landlords use a process server

A third-party server gives you someone who is not a party to the dispute, keeps a record of the date, time and place, and completes the paperwork you will need later. That can be useful if a tenant later says they never got the notice.

Rose City Process Servers serves LTB notices (N4, N5, N12, N13 and others) at a known address only. We do not draft notices, complete forms or give legal advice, so the notice must be ready before we serve it. Our rates are flat: $140 in Windsor, $160 in most of Essex County, $180 in the Kingsville area and $210 in the Leamington area (see the price table), with up to 3 attempts, an email after each attempt with the time, GPS location and a photo, printing of 2 copies, the mailed copy, a sworn Affidavit of Service and mileage included.

See our LTB notices page for details, or our FAQ. To arrange service, call (226) 773-4813 or order at rosecityprocessservers.ca/order/.

Sources

• Residential Tenancies Act, 2006: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17
• LTB Rules of Procedure: https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/ltb/Rules/LTB%20Rules%20of%20Procedure.html
• LTB brochure, How to Serve a Landlord or Tenant with Documents: https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/ltb/Brochures/How%20to%20Serve%20a%20Landlord%20or%20Tenant%20with%20Documents%20(EN).html
• LTB N4 instructions: https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/ltb/Notices%20of%20Termination%20&%20Instructions/N4_Instructions.html
• LTB forms, filing and fees: https://tribunalsontario.ca/ltb/forms-filing-and-fees/

Related service: N4 and other LTB notices served in Windsor-Essex.