What can my landlord do if I owe rent?
There are a few different things your landlord can do if they think you have not paid all your rent.
Use CLEO's Eviction Solution Explorer for free to learn what you can do if your landlord wants to you because you owe rent.
Eviction notice
Your landlord can try to evict you if your rent is late by even one day. But they must follow certain steps.
First, your landlord must give you a Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent (Form N4) . This must include details about the amount of rent your landlord says you owe. It must also include the deadline for you to cancel the notice by paying the rent.
When you get the Form N4, you have 14 days to cancel the notice by paying all the rent that you owe if you rent by the month or year. You must pay within 7 days if you rent by the day or week. Make sure the landlord gives you a receipt for your payment.
Your payment must also include any rent that comes due after the date on the notice.
If you don't pay everything that you owe by the deadline, your landlord can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) to evict you.
After that, you will have other chances to stop the eviction by paying, making an agreement with your landlord, or winning your case at the LTB.
Demand for payment only
Your landlord might choose to ask for payment without asking you to move out. Your landlord could apply to the LTB just for an to make you pay.
Landlords sometimes ask only for payment when they don't want to lose a long-standing tenant or think they won't be able to find a new tenant. They might also do this if you have a and they want to keep you responsible for the rent until the end of the .
And the landlord might also demand payment if you have already moved out. But they must do this within one year after the date you moved out.
Things your landlord is not allowed to do
Even if you owe rent, it's against the law for your landlord to do, or threaten to do, any of these things:
- take or hold anything that belongs to you
- put your belongings out of your apartment
- change the locks to your apartment or to other areas of the building without giving you a new key right away
- cut off any important service, such as electricity, gas, water, or heat
If your landlord does or threatens to do any of these things, try to get legal help right away.
You could also contact the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit (). The RHEU is part of the Ministry of Housing. Its job is to try to make sure landlords and tenants follow the law.
