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The Certificate of Service: Proof You Served the Notice

The LTB won't act on a notice you can't prove you gave. This one-page form is that proof. Here is how to fill it in and when to file it.

5 min readLast updated: November 11, 2026
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The short answer

The Certificate of Service is the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) form that records what you served, on whom, when and how. The person who served it signs it. An L1 or L2 must include it for the notice, and the LTB refuses an L1 without it.

What goes on the form

The Certificate of Service is one page:

  1. The LTB file number, if you have one, and the rental unit address.
  2. The name of the person who served it, and the date.
  3. What was served, such as a notice of termination with its form number (N4, N12 and so on).
  4. Who received it: the tenant, the landlord or someone else. For several tenants served the same way on the same day, attach a list.
  5. The method, ticked from the list on the form.
  6. The signature of the person who served it.

Methods that count

The Act and the LTB's Rules of Procedure allow: handing it to the tenant or an adult in the unit, leaving it in the mailbox or where mail is delivered, sliding it under the door or through a mail slot, mail, courier, and fax. Email counts only if the tenant agreed to it in writing.

Don't post it on the door

Taping a notice to the door is allowed only for a notice of entry. For an N4 or any other notice to end a tenancy, use one of the methods above.

When it counts as served

The date matters, because the notice period starts from it.

MethodCounts as served on
Handed to the personThe day you hand it over
MailThe fifth day after mailing
XpresspostThe fifth day after sending, unless it was delivered earlier and you can show it
CourierThe day after you give it to the courier (the next non-holiday if that day is a holiday)
Email (with written consent)The day you send it
FaxThe date on the fax confirmation

For the N4 and N12, our guides work through how the extra mail days move the termination date: serving an N4 and the N12 notice period.

When to file it

  • With an L1 or L2: file the certificate for the notice along with the application. The LTB refuses an L1 that doesn't include it.
  • Through the portal: upload the notice and certificate with the application, or within 5 calendar days, or the application can be dismissed.
  • Other documents: where the rules or the LTB require a certificate, file it within 5 days of serving.

If a notice wasn't served one of the listed ways, it can still count if you prove the tenant actually got it in time. Don't rely on that: serve it properly and record it.

Frequently asked questions

A one-page LTB form where the person who served a document records what it was, who got it, the date and the method. Landlords file it to prove a notice, such as an N4, was given properly.
Yes, to file an L1. The LTB instructions say the L1 must include a copy of the N4 and the Certificate of Service showing how and when you gave it, or the application will be refused.
The person who actually served the document. If your property manager or a friend delivered the notice, they sign it, not you.
Not a notice to end a tenancy. The only document that can be served by posting it on the door is a notice of entry, unless the LTB orders otherwise. Sliding it under the door or through a mail slot is allowed.
By email, only if the tenant has agreed in writing to service by email. Text messages are not a listed method.
Where the rules require one, within 5 days of serving. If you file your application through the Tribunals Ontario Portal, upload the notice and certificate with it, or within 5 calendar days, or the application can be dismissed.

Related resources

The L1 application

What to file after an N4, and the fee

Eviction notices in Ontario

Which N form fits which situation

Fill in the form online

N4Notice for Non-payment of RentTotals the arrears and adds deemed-service days, then fills the N4.From $7 →N12Landlord or Purchaser Own UseCounts the 60 days and lands the date on a period end so the notice is not void.$19 →N5Interference, Damage or OvercrowdingApplies the first or second notice rules and counts the days, then fills the N5.$19 →N8Persistent Late RentLists the late payments the way the LTB asks, and lands the date on a period end.$19 →N13Demolish, Repair or ConvertCounts the 120 days, checks the permit rule and tells you the compensation you owe.$19 →

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This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. For advice on your situation, talk to a qualified professional. Read our disclaimer.