Ontario LTB Hearing Rooms
Every LTB video hearing room, with its Zoom meeting ID and join link. Check your Notice of Hearing for the room number, then find it here.
Resources
Straight answers, before you call.
Short, plain-language guides to the parts of Ontario family law and the Landlord and Tenant Board that people most often get wrong — plus the official sources we'd send you to anyway.
For landlords & tenants
The Landlord and Tenant Board, demystified
The N4 notice: what it actually means, and the deadline that matters
An N4 is the notice a landlord serves when rent is late. It is not an eviction, and it is not an order — it is the first step, and on its own it forces nobody out of anything.
N12 and "landlord's own use" — what each side has to prove
An N12 is used when the landlord, a purchaser, or a close family member of either genuinely intends to move into the unit.
What actually happens at an LTB hearing
Most hearings are now held by video. You'll be scheduled into a block with other matters, so expect to wait — being in the queue for a while is normal, and leaving the call is not.
Small Claims Court: is your dispute actually a $35,000 problem?
Ontario's Small Claims Court hears claims up to $35,000, not counting interest and costs.
For families
Separation, agreements and the mediation route
Mediation vs. litigation: what the difference really costs
In litigation, a judge who will meet your family for an hour decides what happens to your children and your money, on a timeline that is frequently measured in years, on a public court file, using onl
The separation agreement checklist: what has to be settled before you sign
A complete agreement generally deals with all of the following.
Married vs. common-law in Ontario: the property gap nobody warns you about
Married spouses in Ontario are entitled to equalization of net family property under the Family Law Act, and both have possessory rights in the matrimonial home regardless of whose name is on title.
Adoption in Ontario: the general shape of the process
Adoptions in Ontario broadly fall into a few streams: public adoption through a Children's Aid Society, private adoption through a licensee, international adoption, and step-parent or relative adoptio
Official sources
Where we'd send you anyway.
Forms, rules and plain-language explainers, straight from the bodies that publish them. Free, current, and worth reading before you spend money on anything.
- Landlord and Tenant Board — Tribunals Ontario Every notice and application form, the Rules of Procedure, and how hearings run
- Steps to Justice (CLEO) Plain-language answers on housing, family law and more — the best free resource in Ontario
- Ontario Court Forms Family law and Small Claims Court forms with instructions
- Ontario — Family law Government overview, including Family Law Information Centres
- Department of Justice — Family law The federal Child Support Guidelines and support tables
- Law Society of Ontario — Licensee Directory Check that anyone you're about to hire is actually licensed. Including us.
Frequently asked
Questions we get every week.
Do I need a lawyer or a paralegal?
It depends on the forum. Paralegals are licensed to represent you at tribunals like the Landlord and Tenant Board, in Small Claims Court, and on provincial offence matters. Family law matters in the Superior Court need a lawyer. Describe the problem on the phone and we'll tell you which of us it is — at no charge and in about a minute.
How does the first meeting work, and what does it cost?
Call the office and we'll explain how the initial consultation runs and what it costs before you book anything. You'll never be charged for a conversation you didn't agree to.
What will my matter cost overall?
That depends on the process and on how much of it is contested. What we will do is scope the work and explain the fee structure before it starts, and tell you when a cheaper route would get you the same result. Surprise invoices are not how this office operates.
Can you act for both me and my ex?
Not as a lawyer — that's a conflict. Mediation is different: there, Jim is a neutral who acts for neither of you, and each party takes the mediated terms to their own lawyer for independent legal advice before signing.
My landlord served me a notice. Do I have to move out?
No. A notice is not an eviction. Only an order of the Landlord and Tenant Board can end your tenancy, and only the Sheriff can enforce it. You are entitled to a hearing, and there is a great deal that can be raised at one. Don't move out on a notice alone — call first.
I'm a landlord and my tenant hasn't paid. What's the first step?
An N4 notice, served correctly, with the right amount and the right termination date. If the arrears aren't paid by that date you can file an L1 with the Board. Most failed applications fail on the notice, so it is worth having it checked before you serve it.
We were never married. Do I have a claim to the house?
Not automatically — common-law partners in Ontario have no right to equalization of property. Claims can sometimes be built on other grounds, and spousal support may still be available. It's very fact-specific, and worth a proper conversation rather than a guess.
Do you handle wills, real estate or criminal charges?
No. We do family law, mediation, and the tribunal and small claims work a licensed paralegal can take on. For anything else we'll point you to someone in Guelph who does it properly.
Do you take clients from outside Guelph?
Yes. The office is downtown on Woolwich Street, and much of the work — including most Landlord and Tenant Board hearings and a good deal of mediation — is done remotely.
Keep up
New guides go out by email first.
A short, occasional note on changes at the Landlord and Tenant Board and in Ontario family law — written for people, not for lawyers.