Good news and bad news from the LTB's latest numbers: the backlog is genuinely shrinking. The bad news is "shrinking" still means most people are waiting months — sometimes close to a year — for a hearing.
What's Actually Happening
Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board has reduced its backlog from 53,057 cases to 41,465 — a real drop of roughly 12,000 cases, and the Board received a record number of new applications while doing it. That's a genuine improvement.
But context matters: landlords and tenants are still waiting about three times as long for a hearing as they were before the LTB came under Tribunals Ontario's management. A faster backlog reduction doesn't mean a fast process — it means a slightly less slow one.
How Long Is the Wait, By Type of Case
| Application type | Typical wait |
|---|---|
| Non-payment of rent (L1/L9) | ~3 months |
| Personal use / tenant fault (N12/L2, N5/L2) | 5–8 months |
| Tenant applications (maintenance, harassment) | 9–12+ months |
Across all case types, 80% of hearings are scheduled somewhere between 3.2 and 14.1 months out — and last-minute adjournments can push the actual resolution later still.
What This Means If You're Filing Now
Document everything while you wait. Dates, photos, messages — a hearing 6-12 months out is decided on whatever record you've kept, not what you remember on the day.
A wait this long is a mismatch for time-sensitive issues. If the dispute is purely about money and under the small claims limit, that route can resolve faster than an LTB hearing — see our small claims court guide for Ontario's limit and filing steps.
If the delay itself is the problem — not just the underlying dispute — your MPP's office can inquire into a stalled file on your behalf. Our find your representative guide has the lookup tool.
Filing gives you a documented, timestamped record from day one — whatever happens with the LTB timeline.
File With Asya Now →Sources & Verification
Figures in this article are drawn from the LTB's own annual report data and independent tracking, including:
Learn more about how ComplaintCA verifies information on our About page.