01
A customer stopped paying
The work is done, the invoice is overdue, and the replies have either stopped or keep promising next week.
Demand Letters
Demand Letter Lawyer in Toronto
We write and send demand letters for people and businesses who are owed money, a refund, or work that was paid for and never done. If the letter goes unanswered, we take the same file to court.
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Your counsel
Caleesis TeleshFounder & Principal Lawyer
Shaneisha MattisForeign Trained Lawyer
Diego HerreraInternationally Trained Lawyer
Daniel OseiStudent Legal Assistant
The person reviewing your matter is the person who answers your call. Meet the team →
Paid 30-minute consultationRates set out in writing before work beginsCounsel in eight languagesSaturday by appointmentReplies within one business day
More about the firm
- Hours
- Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is open Monday – Friday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Saturday by appointment. Sunday closed. Consultations are booked in advance; walk-ins are not seen without an appointment.
- Offices
- Telesh Law Firm has two offices: the Scarborough office at 1585 Markham Road, Scarborough, ON M1B 2W1, and the Mississauga office at 2960 Drew Road, Unit 139, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A5. Call 416-639-0887 or 416-299-8088, or email tlf@teleshlawfirm.ca.
- Consultation and rates
- Telesh Law Firm offers a paid 30-minute consultation: a full review of your matter with a lawyer, so you leave knowing where you stand and what your options are. Rates for the work that follows are set out in plain language before any work begins.
- Response time
- A member of the team responds to consultation requests within one business day. For an urgent demand letters matter, call rather than write.
- Languages
- Counsel is available in eight languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Farsi (Persian), Punjabi, Spanish, and Tamil.
- Courts
- Telesh Law Firm appears in the Ontario Court of Justice, the Superior Court of Justice, and Small Claims Court in Toronto and across the Greater Toronto Area.
- Licensing
- Telesh Law Firm Professional Corporation is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. Caleesis Telesh, Founder & Principal Lawyer, is an Ontario licensed lawyer. The firm is also a member of the Canadian Bar Association, Criminal Lawyers' Association, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, and Durham Region Law Association.
- Clients from
- Demand Letters clients come to Telesh Law Firm from the Greater Toronto Area, including Scarborough, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Milton, Newmarket, Oshawa, Barrie, Guelph, Hamilton, and Bracebridge.
- Facts reviewed
- October 2026. Fees, hours, and availability change; call to confirm before relying on them.
In plain words
01
The last letter before court.
A demand letter goes to the person or business that owes you. It says what happened, what they owe, which documents prove it, and the date by which they have to pay or answer. It ends with the next step if they don't, which is usually a claim in court.
Ontario does not require one before most lawsuits. People send one because it is the cheapest step that can still get them paid, and because a judge reading it later sees that the other side had fair warning. A letter from a lawyer tells them you have taken advice and know which court comes next. It does not make them pay.
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When you need one
When people come to us for one.
02
A loan was never repaid
You lent money to a friend, a relative or a business partner. The e-transfers and messages show it, and the repayments have stalled.
03
A contractor kept the deposit
You paid up front. The work never started, or stopped halfway, and the contractor will not give the money back.
04
A deal fell through and the money stayed
A buyer, seller or supplier backed out and kept a payment that the agreement says comes back to you.
The deadline that matters
03
The two-year clock keeps running after you send it.
You generally have two years from the day you discovered the claim to start a court proceeding. A demand letter is not a proceeding. Sending one, waiting for an answer, or negotiating for months does not pause the clock.
On a debt for a fixed amount, the clock can restart if the person who owes you acknowledges the debt in a signed document, or pays part of it. Do not plan around that. If the two-year date is close, we start the claim at the same time as the letter, or instead of it.
Separately, no claim can be started more than 15 years after the events it is about, whatever you knew and when.
Source: Limitations Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 24, Sched. B, ss. 4, 5, 13 and 15.
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What we do
From your documents to a demand letter that is ready.
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Review
We read the agreement, the invoices and the messages, confirm exactly who owes you, and work out the amount.
02
Draft
We set out the facts, the amount, the documents it rests on, and a firm date to pay or respond.
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Send
We send it by email and by a method that proves delivery, so nobody can later say it never arrived.
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Follow up
If they answer, we negotiate and put any deal in writing. If they don't, we prepare the claim.
What to bring
Bring these to the consultation.
Gather what you have. A missing document is no reason to wait, least of all with a deadline running.
- 01The agreement, quote or written terms. An email or text that sets out the deal counts
- 02Invoices, receipts, e-transfer records and bank statements showing what was paid and what is owing
- 03Messages with the other side, especially any where they admit the debt or promise to pay
- 04Their full legal name and address. For a business, the name on its invoices or registration
- 05A short timeline: when the deal was made, when payment was due, and every contact since
- 06Any letter you have already sent, and any reply
Last reviewed: October 2026This page provides general legal information, not advice for a specific matter. Legal rights and deadlines depend on the facts.
In their words
Represented, and heard.
“Telesh Law Firm provides outstanding legal services. The team is highly knowledgeable — I would highly recommend.”
“Great lawyer to work with. Very responsive and accountable. Highly recommended!”
Common questions
Answers, in plain language.
For most claims, no rule requires one. It is still usually worth sending. It gives the other side one last chance to pay without court, and it shows a judge later that you tried. A few kinds of claim carry their own notice rules and shorter deadlines, so we check for those first.
No. Under the Limitations Act, 2002, the two years keep running while you wait for an answer. Starting a claim stops it. So does a signed agreement with the other side to suspend the period. If the deadline is close, we start the claim instead of waiting on a reply.
You decide whether to sue. A claim of $50,000 or less, not counting interest and costs, belongs in Small Claims Court. A larger one goes to the Superior Court of Justice and starts with a statement of claim. We can draft and file either.
Long enough that a judge would call it fair, short enough to keep the matter moving. We usually set a date 10 to 14 days out, and sooner when a limitation date is close or money may be moved out of reach.
Note the response date and keep everything it refers to. Do not ignore it, and do not fire back an angry reply: what you write can be used later. Bring it to a consultation and we will tell you whether the claim holds up and how to answer it.
Free tool
Small Claims interest calculator
Work out the interest on the amount you are owed before you put a number in the letter, at the rates the Ministry of the Attorney General publishes each quarter.
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From the blog
Demand Letters explained, in plain language.
Speak with counsel
Book a consultation.
Consultations available in eight languages.