What is the RTDRS?

Alberta's tribunal is the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS). It decides tenancy disputes by telephone hearing and can award up to $100,000, but it cannot order a landlord to do repairs (it can order a rent reduction or compensation instead). A claim must be filed within 2 years of when the problem first came to your attention.

To apply, file an RTDRS application and pay $75 for a claim of $7,500 or less or $150 above that, or ask for a fee waiver. Then serve the application on the other side at least 3 clear days before the hearing. You can choose the Alberta Court of Justice instead of the RTDRS.

BC's Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) resolves disputes under the Residential Tenancy Act, from evictions to deposits and money claims. An arbitrator decides within 30 days after the hearing, and the decision is final and binding. A party can ask the RTB for a review only on narrow grounds (could not attend, new evidence or fraud), or ask the BC Supreme Court for judicial review within 60 days.

To apply, file an application for dispute resolution with the RTB and pay the $100 fee, or ask for a fee waiver. The RTB does not collect money for you: a money order is enforced through Small Claims (Provincial Court) or the Supreme Court.

Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Branch decides landlord and tenant disputes, including orders of possession, compensation claims, deposits and orders to repair. Appeals go to the Residential Tenancies Commission, and there is no further appeal to court.

The fee is $60 to apply for an order of possession and $50 for a compensation claim, waived for people on income assistance or receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The applicant serves the notice of hearing at least 5 days before the hearing, and decisions usually come within 2 working days.

Saskatchewan's Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) hears landlord and tenant disputes, including evictions and money claims up to $30,000. Hearings are by telephone or other electronic means.

To apply, file an application with the ORT and pay the $50 non-refundable fee. A party can ask for a correction or clarification within 15 days, or appeal to the Court of King's Bench on law or jurisdiction within 30 days. ORT orders are filed in the Court of King's Bench and enforced by the sheriff.

Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), part of Tribunals Ontario, decides applications under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, from evictions and rent arrears to maintenance and tenant rights. Since October 1, 2025 it can order up to $50,000, the same limit as the Small Claims Court.

Each issue has its own form and fee, for example $53 for an A1 and $233 for an L5. A tenant maintenance application is a T6, filed within one year of the conduct. The LTB does not enforce its own orders: evictions go to the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) and money orders to the Small Claims Court.

New Brunswick's Tenant and Landlord Relations Office handles disputes through residential tenancies officers, who contact both sides, investigate and decide matters such as evictions, deposits and rent increase reviews. The office also holds tenants' security deposits and pays deposit claims out of them.

To apply, file a Landlord or Tenant Application for Assistance. You get a confirmation and case number within one business day, and urgent cases go first. A rent increase review is free; ask the office about any other fee. An officer's order can be reviewed by a Court of King's Bench judge within 7 days, on jurisdiction or an error of law only.

Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Program, run by Service Nova Scotia, resolves disputes through the Director of Residential Tenancies. The Director can order compliance, repairs, compensation, rent paid in trust or the end of a tenancy. Mediation is tried first, and a mediated settlement is binding.

To apply, file Form J (Application to Director) online or at an Access Nova Scotia centre. The fee is $31.15, waived for people on income assistance or the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Hearings are by telephone, with the order due within 14 days. Either side can appeal to Small Claims Court within 10 days.

PEI's Rental Office, the Office of the Director of Residential Tenancy in Charlottetown, decides landlord and tenant disputes under the Residential Tenancy Act. The Director can mediate, hold a telephone hearing or, in urgent safety matters, decide without a hearing, and can order compensation or a rent reduction. An order is due within 90 days of the application.

Tenants apply on Form 2(A) and landlords on Form 2B, both from the Rental Office. Ask the office about any filing fee. The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) hears appeals only: within 20 days of an order, or 7 days for an order to vacate for unpaid rent or cause.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Residential Tenancies Office (Government Services) has adjudicators who decide disputes, from deposits and repairs to orders of possession, at teleconference hearings.

To apply, file an Application for Dispute Resolution and pay the $20 fee (no fee if a tenant is claiming only the security deposit back), then serve it at least 10 clear days before the hearing. There is no internal review: appeal to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador on jurisdiction or law within 30 days. The Office does not collect money, so orders are enforced through Small Claims or the High Sheriff.