Rent arrears
When rent stops, your records decide what happens next.
Missed rent is stressful — and the formal process runs on documentation: what was owed, what was paid, what was said, and when. Landlords who arrive with an organized ledger and dated communications are the ones hearings go smoothly for.
What to do right now
Three things that matter in almost every arrears case.
These apply whether or not you ever use Optimized Rentals.
Every province has a formal notice process for unpaid rent, with specific forms and strict timelines. Waiting rarely helps — the process rewards landlords who start it correctly and on time.
Dates, amounts due, amounts received, and any fees — with no gaps. A hearing adjudicator wants a clear ledger, not a stack of screenshots and a story.
Lease, ledger, notices, and communications in date order. Clarity is credibility: the better organized your file, the easier it is to decide in your favour.
Where the record helps
The file builds itself when the tenancy is on record.
If the rent, lease, and communications already live in one connected record, preparing for a hearing is printing, not archaeology.
Rent tracking per tenancy
Due dates, payments, and balances tracked against the lease — your ledger stays current instead of being rebuilt under pressure.
Lease and notices connected
The lease record, notices, and key documents stay attached to the unit and tenancy they belong to.
Communication history
Conversations about the tenancy stay dated and in context instead of scattered across texts and email.
Useful beyond the arrears
The same record supports factual rental-history reporting and better screening for the next tenancy.
Related resources
The rest of the landlord record
Arrears are one chapter — the record covers the whole tenancy.
What to document immediately after a bad move-out.
Protect your rentalLeases, condition reports, rent, and maintenance in one record.
Report rental historySubmit documented records through a factual review process.
Screen the next applicantStart a structured screening file before handing over keys.
Before it happens again
The landlords who handle arrears best started the record on day one.
Put this tenancy on record now — and start the next one with screening, a lease record, and rent tracking from the first month.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Notice forms, grounds, and timelines vary by province — check your provincial residential tenancy authority for current requirements.