Locked out by your landlord in Ontario: what can you do?

No. During your tenancy an Ontario landlord cannot change the locks without giving you a new key, and cannot take the unit back without an eviction order from the Landlord and Tenant Board enforced by the Sheriff. If you are locked out, you can apply to the Board on Form T2, ask for an urgent hearing, and seek an order letting you back in, plus money for your losses.

Coming home to a changed lock is frightening, especially for a newcomer family whose papers, medicine and children's things are inside. Some landlords believe that unpaid rent, a notice they served, or a verbal "you have to go" lets them change the locks. It does not. This guide explains the rules in the Residential Tenancies Act, what to do in the first hours and days, and the remedies available. Our main page on landlord and tenant disputes covers the wider picture.

What does the law say about changing the locks?

The LTB's guideline on tenant rights adds two practical points. A landlord may change the locks during a tenancy if the tenant is given a key to the new lock and is not charged for it. And a landlord may change the locks after a tenant has permanently moved out or abandoned the unit; a landlord who is not sure should apply to the Board rather than act.

What should you do if you are locked out, step by step?

The enforcement unit and the Board do different jobs. The province explains that the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit intervenes immediately to resolve complaints that may involve offences under the Act, without an application, while the Board decides applications and makes orders. You can use both. When you call the unit, they need your name and contact information (they do not take anonymous complaints) and the landlord's details.

What can the Board order?

If the Board finds that the landlord changed the locks without giving you a key, it can order the landlord not to do it again, pay the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing your property and other reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, reduce your rent (an abatement), pay an administrative fine, or make any other order it considers appropriate (s. 31(1)). If the unit has not been rented to someone else, it can order that you be allowed to recover possession (s. 31(3)). That order works like a writ of possession, and it expires 15 days after it is issued unless filed with the Sheriff in that time, or 45 days after it is issued if filed (s. 31(4), (5)).

If the landlord's conduct pushed you to move out, the Board can also order the landlord to pay the increase in your rent for a year and reasonable moving and storage costs (s. 31(2)). Money orders can go up to the Small Claims Court limit (s. 207(1)), which is $50,000 since October 1, 2025. Separately, a landlord convicted of an offence under the Act faces a fine of up to $100,000 for an individual or $500,000 for a corporation (s. 238).

What if the landlord says you owe rent or has served a notice?

Neither allows a lockout. A notice of termination starts a process; it does not end your right to stay. The Ontario government's tenant page says that even if your landlord gives you written notice, you do not have to move out until the landlord applies for and receives an eviction order from the LTB, and you have the right to a hearing. If the notice was an N12 for family use, read our guide on N12 notices and compensation. If it was an N13 for renovations, see N13 notices and the right to move back. In both cases compensation must be paid before any eviction order (s. 83(4)).

What happens to your belongings?

The Act controls when a landlord may deal with a tenant's property. A landlord may sell, keep or dispose of property left in a unit only after the unit has been vacated under a notice, an agreement to end the tenancy, or a Board order (s. 41(1)). Even after a lawful eviction, the landlord must not dispose of the property for 72 hours after the Sheriff enforces the order, and must make it available for the tenant to collect at a location close to the unit during that time (s. 41(2), (3)). A landlord who changes the locks without an order has none of these rights, and the Board can order the cost of repairing or replacing property damaged, destroyed or disposed of (s. 31(1)(b)).

For families whose passports, permanent resident cards, school records or documents from Iran are inside, list those items first in your T2 application and in your request to shorten time. Replacement can take months, and in some cases a lost passport can affect travel plans; if you are also dealing with a criminal charge, our guide on Canadian passports and pending charges explains a separate set of passport rules.

If police attend during a lockout, explain that you are a tenant, show your lease or rent receipts, and say that the landlord has no Board order. Keep the officer's name and the occurrence number for your application. If anyone threatens you, your safety comes first.

What changes the answer?

• Whether you are a tenant under the Act. Some living arrangements are outside the Act, for example where you must share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner, or the owner's spouse, child or parent, who lives in the building (s. 5(i)). Ask for advice if you rent a room in the owner's home.
• Whether you had moved out. A landlord may change the locks after a tenant has vacated or abandoned the unit (s. 39(a)).
• Whether there is an eviction order. Only the Sheriff enforces it (s. 85).
• Whether the unit has been re-rented. An order to return is possible only if the unit is still vacant (s. 31(3)); money remedies remain.
• Timing. A T2 must be filed within one year of the conduct (s. 29(2)).
• Vital services. Shutting off heat, water or electricity is also prohibited and also an offence (ss. 21, 233(a)).

A worked example

For example, imagine a mother and her teenage son who rent the upper floor of a house in Thornhill from an individual landlord. After a dispute about a late payment, they return from school and work to find the front-door lock changed and a note saying "you are evicted". This is a hypothetical walk-through of the rules, not a description of any real case or result.

She photographs the lock and the note, and sends the landlord a text in English asking for a key the same evening; there is no reply. The next morning she calls the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit, which contacts the landlord. When the landlord still refuses, she files a T2 application with a request to shorten time, listing the hotel and meal receipts. Because the unit has not been re-rented, the Board can order that she be allowed back in; if the landlord ignores the order, she files it with the Sheriff within 15 days. She asks for a Persian interpreter for the hearing, which LTB rule 1.10.1 allows on request. Courts have their own rules, explained in our guide to Farsi interpreters in Ontario courts. The late rent is a separate matter that the landlord can only pursue through the Board.

What mistakes do tenants make after a lockout?

1. Breaking in. Use the enforcement unit, the Board and the Sheriff instead.
2. Waiting to see if the landlord calms down. An order to return depends on the unit still being vacant.
3. Not keeping receipts. Hotel, meals, replacement items and moving costs can be claimed.
4. Agreeing to leave under pressure. Get advice before signing anything.
5. Treating a notice as an eviction. Only a Board order enforced by the Sheriff ends possession.
6. Missing the one-year deadline. A T2 must be filed within a year (s. 29(2)).

What to do this week

1. Ask for a key in writing and keep every message.
2. Call the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (416-585-7214 or 1-888-772-9277).
3. File a T2 application and a request to shorten time.
4. List everything inside that you urgently need, including passports, medicine and school items.
5. Keep all receipts for where you stay and what you buy.
6. Book a consultation; you can discuss your matter in English, Persian (Farsi) or French.

Frequently asked questions

Can my landlord change the locks if I owe rent?

No. Unpaid rent is dealt with through a notice and an application to the Board. A landlord may not take possession without an order (s. 39) and may not seize your belongings for unpaid rent (s. 40).

Can the landlord charge me for the new key?

The LTB's tenant-rights guideline says a landlord may change the locks during a tenancy if the tenant gets a key to the new lock and is not charged for it.

Can I change the locks myself?

The province's offences page says it is an offence for a tenant to change the locks without the landlord's consent. Ask first, in writing.

What if the landlord threw out my belongings?

The Board can order the cost of repairing or replacing property damaged, destroyed or disposed of because of the lockout (s. 31(1)(b)).

How do I reach the Landlord and Tenant Board?

The province lists the LTB's toll-free line as 1-888-332-3234, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and online contact through Tribunals Ontario. Applications and the request to shorten time are filed through the Tribunals Ontario portal or by the methods on the LTB forms page.

Is free legal help available?

The province points tenants to community legal clinics through Legal Aid Ontario at 1-800-668-8258, and Legal Aid's fact sheet says tenant duty counsel are available at most LTB locations.

Related questions

If a dispute grows into a larger money claim, our Small Claims Court page explains that court. Persian-speaking families can read our frequently asked questions about consultations in Persian. Our other guides are listed on the services page.

Sourena Sarbazevatan is a Persian-speaking lawyer, and you can discuss a lockout with him in Farsi, English or French. Call +1 (416) 628-2041 or use the contact page.