Moving Out Checklist Ontario: Notice, Cleaning and Deposits

To move out of a rental in Ontario, give your landlord at least 60 days' written notice on Form N9, ending on the last day of a rental period (and not before the end of a fixed term), or sign an N11 agreement to end the tenancy on a date you both accept. Then leave the unit reasonably clean, take everything with you, document it with photos, return your keys and let your last month's rent deposit cover your final month.

Use the timeline below so nothing slips, especially if roommates are staying behind.

Key takeaways

• Notice: N9, at least 60 days for monthly and fixed-term tenancies, 28 days for daily or weekly. Add 5 days if mailing.
• Termination date: the last day of a rental period, and not before the end of a fixed term.
• Leaving early: agree with your landlord (N11) or assign your lease. A landlord can't force you to sign an N11.
• Clean, don't renovate: ordinary cleanliness, plus repairing damage you or guests caused.
• Take everything. Items left behind after you move out can be disposed of.
• Your deposit covers your last month, plus interest owed.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic through Legal Aid Ontario or Steps to Justice.

Step 1: Give proper notice (N9)

Use the LTB's Form N9: Tenant's Notice to End the Tenancy. A text saying "we're moving" is risky; the form makes the date and your intention clear.

A few rules people miss:

• Notice is needed even at the end of a lease. A fixed-term lease doesn't end by itself; it rolls into a monthly tenancy.
• Don't count the day you deliver the notice. If you mail it, add 5 days (65 instead of 60).
• February and March: notice for the end of February is fine if given by January 1, and for the end of March by February 1.
• If your landlord gave you an N12 or N13, you can give an N9 with as little as 10 days' notice, and the date doesn't have to be the end of a rental period.
• If you leave without proper notice, you may owe rent until the unit is re-rented or until the earliest date proper notice would have ended the tenancy, whichever comes first.

Our full guide to ending a tenancy with Form N9 has worked examples.

Step 2: Need out sooner? Agree to end it (N11) or assign

If 60 days or the end of your term doesn't work, you have options:

• Agreement to end the tenancy (Form N11). You and your landlord can agree to end the tenancy on any date. A verbal agreement can count, but a signed N11 avoids confusion. Keep a copy.
• Assignment. With your landlord's consent, someone new takes over your lease on the same terms. If the landlord refuses to allow any assignment, or doesn't reply within seven days of your request, you can give an N9 within 30 days of your request, with at least 30 days' notice. See sublets and assignments in Ontario.

Know the limits:

• A landlord can't force you to sign an N11, and can't make signing an N9 or N11 a condition of renting the unit in the first place (some student housing is an exception).
• Once you've signed or given notice, it binds you. If you don't leave, the landlord can apply to the LTB to evict you. As of September 21, 2026, if the LTB issues an eviction order without a hearing based on your N9 or N11, it can only cancel that order if doing so wouldn't be unfair, and it can't consider changes in your circumstances after you signed. Be sure before you commit.

Step 3: Prepare the unit

Once notice is given, your landlord may start showing the unit. Our sibling guide to landlord entry rules in Ontario explains when they can come in.

Cleaning. Tenants must keep the unit at a standard of ordinary cleanliness, and repair damage caused by them or their guests, whether on purpose or through carelessness. Normal wear and tear, like aging paint, worn carpet or a tired stove element, is the landlord's responsibility. A landlord can't take a cleaning deposit or keep your rent deposit for cleaning.

A practical cleaning list:

• Kitchen: inside the fridge, oven and cabinets; wipe counters and the range hood
• Bathroom: toilet, tub, sink, mirror and floor
• Floors swept and mopped or vacuumed
• Nail holes: ask your landlord how they'd like small holes handled
• Remove all garbage, recycling and furniture you own
• Return anything the landlord provided to where it was

Step 4: Do a move-out walkthrough with photos

There's no legal requirement for a joint inspection, but it's the best protection you have.

1. Invite your landlord to walk through with you on your last day or shortly before.
2. Take dated photos and video of every room, inside appliances and closets, walls, floors and any existing damage. Compare with your move-in photos.
3. Note meter readings if you pay hydro or gas.
4. Write down anything agreed, like "landlord accepts unit as clean", and ask them to confirm by email.
5. Return all keys and fobs and get written confirmation, so your key deposit comes back.

Take everything with you. If you move out after giving an N9 or signing an N11, you lose your rights to anything left behind, and the landlord can keep, sell or throw it out right away.

Step 5: Utilities, insurance and address changes

ServiceOntario lets you update your driver's licence, health card and photo card together online, except health cards with an address printed on them, which must be updated in person.

Step 6: Your last month's rent and other money

• Let the deposit cover your last month. A rent deposit can only be used for your final rent period. Tell your landlord in writing to apply the deposit, plus any interest owed, to your last month. If it's not enough, pay the difference.
• Don't pay twice. If the landlord asks for full rent for your last month while holding your deposit, point to the deposit in writing.
• Key deposit: refundable when you return all keys and fobs.
• Receipts: you can ask for a rent receipt for up to 12 months after you move out.
• If money isn't returned, ask in writing first. You can then contact the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (1-888-772-9277) or apply to the LTB with Form T1. More detail in our guide to rent deposit rules in Ontario.

A landlord who says you still owe money after you've moved out generally has to apply to the LTB within one year of your move-out date, so keep your photos, receipts and messages for at least that long.

Roommate handovers

Shared homes need a plan for who leaves, who stays and how money moves.

• Everyone on the lease is responsible for the full rent, not just their share, until the tenancy ends or the landlord agrees otherwise.
• The N9 asks for all tenant names. If only one co-tenant is leaving, how that notice affects everyone else isn't always straightforward. Talk to the landlord and your roommates first, and get the outcome in writing, such as an assignment of the departing person's spot or a new lease for those staying. A legal clinic can help if it gets complicated.
• Settle the deposit. The landlord usually holds a single rent deposit for the whole unit. If you're leaving and someone is replacing you, agree in writing that the newcomer pays you your share and takes over your portion of the deposit.
• Transfer shared accounts. Move any utility or internet account in your name to someone staying, and agree on the final bill split.
• Divide shared items you bought together, and agree who keeps what.
• If your roommate rents a room from you rather than from the landlord, your roommate agreement sets the notice you owe each other. And if you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, the Residential Tenancies Act may not apply at all; see living with your landlord.

Bottom line

Give the right notice on the right form, then treat move-out like a handover: clean, photograph, return keys and put every agreement in writing. Your last month's rent deposit should cover your final month, and good records make any dispute short.

If a roommate is leaving and you need someone new, ColivEase matches people on area, commute, budget, move-in date and shared language. Every listing is reviewed by a person, and roommates can form teams and apply together. It's free to find a replacement on ColivEase.