Can my landlord enter my apartment without notice in Ontario?

Generally no. Except in an emergency or where you consent, a landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice stating the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Entering without proper notice can be an illegal entry, which is a ground for a T2 application.

What can I do if my landlord locks me out or shuts off the heat?

An illegal lockout or the deliberate withholding of a vital service like heat, water, or electricity is a serious breach. You can file a T2 — often on an urgent basis — and the Board can order the landlord to restore access or the service and to compensate you for the disruption.

What is a rent abatement?

A rent abatement is money the Board orders the landlord to return to you because you didn't get the full value of what you were paying for — for example, because of a landlord's interference or a loss of services. It is calculated as a portion of the rent for the affected period.

◂ For TenantsForm T2

Tenant Rights (T2)

Quick Answer

A tenant in Ontario can file a Form T2 with the Landlord and Tenant Board when a landlord enters illegally, harasses or threatens them, withholds vital services like heat or water, illegally locks them out, or substantially interferes with their reasonable enjoyment of the unit. The Board can order the landlord to stop, order compensation, and in serious cases reduce the rent or fine the landlord.

Holding a landlord to account for illegal entry, harassment, withholding vital services, changing the locks, or substantially interfering with your reasonable enjoyment of your home.

Forms: Form T2
Tribunal: Landlord & Tenant Board
Consultation: Free & Confidential

i.

When this applies

A T2 is the tenant's application about how a landlord has treated them. It covers illegal entry into the unit, withholding or deliberately interfering with vital services such as heat, electricity or water, harassment, coercion, threats or interference, changing the locks without giving the tenant a new key, and substantially interfering with the tenant's reasonable enjoyment of the rental unit. These are protections the Residential Tenancies Act gives every tenant, regardless of what the lease says.

ii.

What the Board can order

The Board can order the landlord to stop the conduct, order the landlord to pay the tenant compensation or a rent abatement, order that a tenant be allowed back into an illegally locked unit, authorize the tenant to do or arrange work, and in serious cases impose an administrative fine. Where a tenant was forced out, the order can include the cost of the disruption.

iii.

How we help

Identifying which T2 grounds your situation engages
Building a timeline of entries, messages, and incidents
Quantifying a fair abatement or compensation claim
Filing the T2 and serving the landlord properly
Representing you at the hearing
Pursuing an order to restore services or end a lockout quickly

iv.

How it works at the LTB

Document what happened — dates, photos, texts, and witnesses — then file the T2 with the Board, which schedules a hearing. The tenant carries the burden of proving the conduct, so the record matters. At the hearing we present the evidence and ask for the specific remedies that fit, whether that's compensation, an order to stop, or restoration of a service.

v.

Timelines & deadlines

Urgent issues — an illegal lockout or a cut-off vital service — can be brought on an expedited basis, sometimes within days. Other T2 matters follow the Board's ordinary schedule of a few months. Acting quickly both protects your safety and strengthens the evidence.

Common Questions

Can my landlord enter my apartment without notice in Ontario?: Generally no. Except in an emergency or where you consent, a landlord must give at least 24 hours' written notice stating the reason and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Entering without proper notice can be an illegal entry, which is a ground for a T2 application.
What can I do if my landlord locks me out or shuts off the heat?: An illegal lockout or the deliberate withholding of a vital service like heat, water, or electricity is a serious breach. You can file a T2 — often on an urgent basis — and the Board can order the landlord to restore access or the service and to compensate you for the disruption.
What is a rent abatement?: A rent abatement is money the Board orders the landlord to return to you because you didn't get the full value of what you were paying for — for example, because of a landlord's interference or a loss of services. It is calculated as a portion of the rent for the affected period.

Facing this at the Board?

The deadline moves first.

LTB matters turn on notices, service, and filing dates as much as the facts. Talk it through before a deadline passes — the first call is free, confidential, and without obligation.

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