An unlawful termination of tenancy, also known as 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.
The RTB takes illegal eviction very seriously as it can potentially leave a tenant homeless. Landlords are urged to seek recourse though the RTB rather than taking the law into their own hands. A landlord found by the RTB to have carried out an unlawful termination may be directed to allow the tenant re-entry into the dwelling and/ or required to pay substantial damages to the tenant depending on the circumstances of the case. Decision makers have discretion to award up to and including €20,000 in damages.
In order to terminate a tenancy a landlord must serve a valid Notice of Termination. If the tenant does not vacate upon the expiration of a valid Notice of Termination, then a dispute resolution application can be submitted to the RTB. Please see sample Notices of Termination page for information on serving a Notice of Termination.