Landlord Entry Rules Ontario: 24-Hour Notice Explained

In Ontario, your landlord usually needs to give you at least 24 hours' written notice before entering your unit, stating the reason, the date and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The main exceptions are emergencies, entry you agree to at the time, cleaning your lease includes, and showings to new tenants after a notice to end your tenancy. If your landlord ignores these rules, you can file a Form T2 with the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).

Your home is still your home when you rent it. Here's exactly when a landlord can come in, what a proper notice looks like, and what to do when the line gets crossed.

Key takeaways

• Standard rule: written notice at least 24 hours ahead, with reason, date and a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• Only certain reasons count, such as repairs, inspections, and viewings by a buyer, lender or insurer.
• No notice needed for emergencies, entry you consent to at the time, agreed cleaning, or showings after a notice to end the tenancy (8 a.m. to 8 p.m., after the landlord tries to tell you).
• Repairs you asked for still need notice unless you agree on the spot.
• You can't block a valid entry, but you can stay home while it happens.
• Broken rules? Document it, then file a T2 within one year. Illegal entry is also an offence under the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).

This article is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic (Legal Aid Ontario can refer you to one at 1-800-668-8258).

First: do these rules apply to you?

The entry rules come from sections 26 and 27 of the RTA, which covers most rentals in Ontario: apartments, condos, houses, basement units and rooming houses. If you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner who lives there, the RTA generally doesn't apply, and the owner doesn't need to give notice to use shared space. Get clear house rules in writing before you move in. Our guide to living with your landlord covers that setup.

Entry with 24 hours' written notice

A landlord can enter with proper written notice for these reasons only:

1. To make a repair or replacement, or do work in the unit
2. To let a potential mortgage lender or insurer view the unit
3. To let an engineer, architect or other qualified person inspect the unit when the Condominium Act requires it
4. To inspect whether the unit is in good repair and meets health, safety, housing and maintenance standards, if the inspection is reasonable
5. For another reasonable reason written into your lease
6. To show the unit to a potential buyer (a registered real estate agent can do this with the landlord's written authorization)
7. To check that an air conditioner you installed is safe, secure and not causing damage

"I just want to see how you're keeping the place" isn't on the list. Neither is dropping by to chat, collect rent or look around.

What the notice must say

The LTB's guideline says a window is fine when the landlord doesn't control the schedule, for example when a cable company gives a three-hour slot. In Wrona v. Toronto Community Housing Corporation, the Divisional Court found that a nine-hour window for smoke alarm checks didn't meet the rule.

How the notice has to reach you

The notice must be delivered in a way the LTB accepts, and the method affects when the 24 hours start.

Landlords can also slide the notice under your door, put it through your mail slot or give it to an apparent adult in your unit. A notice mailed on Monday for entry on Tuesday doesn't work.

Entry without written notice

The RTA allows entry without written notice in four situations:

• Emergencies, such as a fire, flood or gas leak.
• You consent at the time. If the landlord knocks and you say "come in", that's valid. Agreeing yesterday by phone isn't the same as written notice.
• Regular cleaning that your lease says the landlord provides, at the times in the lease or, if none are listed, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• Showings to prospective tenants once you and the landlord have agreed to end the tenancy or either of you has given notice. The landlord must come between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. and, before entering, tell you or make a reasonable effort to tell you.

That last one matters if you've given an N9 to move out or received an N12 or N13. Showings to new tenants can happen without 24 hours' written notice, but the time limits and the effort to warn you still apply. If you're on your way out, our guides to ending a tenancy with an N9 and N12 and N13 evictions explain the rest of the process.

A common trap: repairs you asked for

Even if you reported the leak, the landlord can't just walk in to fix it. The LTB's guideline says they still need written notice, or your consent at the time they arrive.

Your responsibilities during a valid entry

The rules work both ways. When the notice is proper:

• Don't block or delay it. The LTB says you can't refuse just because the time is inconvenient, and the Ontario government lists stopping a properly noticed entry as an offence. You can always ask for a different time; many landlords will agree.
• Make the work area reachable, and safely secure pets.
• Don't change the locks without the landlord's consent. That's also an offence.

You're allowed to stay in the unit during the entry. The landlord can also enter if you're out, as long as the notice was valid.

When entries become harassment

Even valid entries can cross a line. The LTB expects landlords to limit entries to what's actually needed for the work or inspection. If entries are unnecessary or unreasonably frequent, the Board may find the landlord harassed you or substantially interfered with your reasonable enjoyment of your home.

Signs worth documenting:

• Inspections every week with vague reasons
• Notices that always list a full-day window
• Entries that seem timed to pressure you to move
• Staff or contractors entering without the landlord or superintendent present (the LTB says the landlord or super should normally attend)

What to do if your landlord breaks the rules

1. Write it down

Keep a log with dates, times, who entered, what they did and whether you were home. Save photos, video from a door camera you own, texts and emails. Note anyone who saw it.

2. Put your concern in writing

A short, calm message works: "On November 3 at 2 p.m. you entered my unit without written notice. Please give me 24 hours' written notice, with the reason and time, before any future non-emergency entry, as required by sections 26 and 27 of the Residential Tenancies Act."

3. File a T2 at the LTB

Form T2 (Application about Tenant Rights) covers illegal entry, harassment and substantial interference.

• Deadline: within one year of what happened
• Fee: $53, or $48 on the Tribunals Ontario Portal (a fee waiver is available if you qualify)

If the Board agrees, it can:

• order the landlord to stop
• order a rent abatement
• order the landlord to pay your reasonable out-of-pocket costs and for damaged property
• order the landlord to pay an administrative fine to the Board
• end the tenancy, or make any other order it considers appropriate

Our step-by-step guide to LTB tenant applications covers evidence, hearings and free legal help.

4. Report the offence

Entering for a reason the RTA doesn't allow, without the required notice, or outside the allowed hours is an offence under section 234 of the Act. You can contact the province's Rental Housing Enforcement Unit, which investigates and can prosecute. Maximum fines are now $100,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations.

Valid-notice checklist

• In writing, delivered by an accepted method
• Received at least 24 hours before entry
• States a reason the RTA allows
• Gives the date
• Gives a time, or a reasonable window, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

If any box is empty and there's no emergency, you can politely say no and ask for a proper notice.

Bottom line

Your landlord has a right to enter for real reasons, and you have a right to know when and why. Most issues are solved with one clear written message. When they aren't, a T2 at the LTB and a report to the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit are there to back you up.

Privacy starts before you sign. On ColivEase, a listing's exact address stays hidden until an application is accepted (maps show only a roughly 350-metre area), and chat flags common scam lines. Find roommates and homes on ColivEase, and read our Ontario tenant rights guide for the bigger picture.