An illegal eviction may occur where a landlord, through force, intimidation or otherwise (such as cutting off utilities, changing the locks etc) denies a tenant from accessing a rented dwelling or removes the tenant’s belongings from the dwelling.
A landlord found by the RTB to have carried out an unlawful termination of the tenancy may be directed to allow the tenant re-entry into the dwelling and required to pay substantial damages to the tenant depending on the circumstances of the case.
In order to terminate a tenancy a landlord must serve a valid Notice of Termination on the tenant. If the tenant does not vacate upon the expiration of a valid Notice of Termination, then a dispute resolution application should be submitted to the RTB. Please see our Sample Notices of Termination page for information on Notice of Termination and what makes them valid.