Locked Out by Your Landlord in Ontario? A Tenant’s Guide to the T2 and What You Can Recover

Changed locks, cut utilities, tossed belongings — why it is illegal, and how the LTB T2 gets you back in and pays you back

I am Arthur Zhao. Over twelve years I have represented more than 160 landlords — and I have also had tenants show up with a photo of a lock that was changed while they were at work, asking what to do. Here is the single most important thing to know: in Ontario, a landlord never has the power to evict you personally — not for unpaid rent, not because the lease ended, not because a relationship went sour. There is exactly one lawful route to eviction, and it runs through the LTB. A landlord who changes the locks, kills the power, or throws out your things is attempting a self-help eviction, which is itself against the law. This article does not walk through the landlord’s N4/L1 eviction process; it stands on the tenant’s side and lays out, step by step, how to fight back once you have been locked out.
One caveat up front: I am a licensed real estate broker, not a lawyer. This is a process explainer, not legal advice — for an actual dispute, contact the LTB or a licensed lawyer or paralegal.

First, the legal line: self-help eviction vs lawful eviction

A landlord can absolutely end a tenancy lawfully — but only through the LTB: serve written notice, apply to the Board, attend a hearing, obtain an eviction order, and even then only the Sheriff (court enforcement office) may carry out the eviction. This article does not unpack that lawful process (see the Related Reading below if that is what you need). When a landlord skips all of it and simply changes the locks or cuts the power, that is an illegal lockout. Hold on to the bright line: without an eviction order that has actually been enforced, any lock-change, utility shut-off, or removal of your property is unlawful.

The difference at a glance

What you can actually recover

Under s.31 of the RTA, the LTB can order in your favour:
• An order to let you back in — provided the unit has not already been rented to someone else;
• Rent abatement — a refund of part, or in serious cases all, of your rent for the period you were affected, scaled to how badly you were hurt;
• Out-of-pocket costs — reasonable expenses such as hotel or temporary housing while locked out, re-keying, the value of destroyed or discarded property, and moving or storage;
• General damages — compensation for the distress, inconvenience and loss of enjoyment you suffered;
• An administrative fine — see the next section; this one is not paid to you.

Two kinds of fine — and neither is a cheque to you

There are two separate penalty tracks, easy to confuse, and neither lands in your pocket:
1. LTB administrative fine — ordered by the Board in a T2 where the conduct warrants it, payable to the Minister of Finance rather than to you, meant to deter the landlord from repeating (LTB Interpretation Guideline 16). Its cap is set by a formula: the greater of $25,000 and the Small Claims Court’s monetary jurisdiction. That jurisdiction rose from $35,000 to $50,000 on 2025-10-01, while the LTB’s lockout brochure still prints the older $35,000 — so confirm the current cap with the LTB.
2. Court conviction fine (offence) — changing the locks, entering illegally, or cutting vital services is itself an offence under the RTA, investigated by the RHEU and prosecuted in provincial court on a track parallel to your T2. As of 2026-07-01, the maximum conviction fine rose to $100,000 for an individual and $500,000 for a corporation (ontario.ca). That money also goes to the government.
What actually reaches your hands is the abatement plus out-of-pocket and general damages from the T2.

Deadlines and speed: why the clock decides

A few time rules directly determine whether you recover anything:
• One-year limit — under s.29(2) you must file the T2 within one year of the violation; miss it and the Board will not hear it;
• Urgent hearing — a lockout is an emergency, so file a Request to Shorten Time with your T2 to be heard sooner, and ask for an interim order stopping the landlord from re-renting the unit or disposing of your property;
• 15-day enforcement window — even with an order to let you back in, if the landlord still refuses you must have the Sheriff enforce it within 15 days of the date on the order, or it expires (LTB brochure);
• Re-rented = practically gone — once a new tenant moves in, the LTB generally cannot order you back. That is why you act on the day you are locked out.

Arthur Zhao

Real Estate Broker · FRI · ABR · SRS · PSA · MCNE · E-PRO · CLHMS & GUILD Elite · REAIS

VP & Branch Manager, Bay Street Group Inc.

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