How long does it take to evict a squatter?

Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act applies only to tenancies, but a tenancy agreement can be written, oral or implied. On those definitions, a person who never had any agreement with you is not a tenant, and the Act's eviction process does not cover them. Under the Trespass to Premises Act, the owner can give notice not to trespass orally, in writing or by visible signs, and a peace officer, or the owner, may apprehend a trespasser without a warrant; an owner who does so must hand the person to a peace officer as soon as practicable. That Act does not apply where the person reasonably believed they had a right to be there.

The Act has its own route for a person living with a tenant who is not a tenant: serve them a notice to vacate giving at least 14 days (48 hours if the tenant has abandoned the unit), then apply to court if they stay. If the person may be a tenant, you need an order from the RTDRS or the court, filed with the Court of King's Bench, and only a civil enforcement agency can remove them.

BC's Residential Tenancy Act covers tenancy agreements that are written or oral, express or implied, and also a licence to occupy. So a person you let in, even informally, may be a tenant, and an arbitrator decides whether a tenancy exists from what the parties intended and all the circumstances. On the Act's wording, a person who entered with no agreement of any kind has no tenancy agreement and the Act's eviction process would not apply, though no government page says this directly.

BC's Trespass Act makes it an offence not to leave as soon as practicable after the occupier tells a person to go, and a peace officer may arrest without a warrant. The province's police assistance sheet says police should not remove a person from a rental unit unless the person is under arrest or a court bailiff acting under a writ of possession asks for help, so where there is any sign of a tenancy, our advice is to expect to go through the Residential Tenancy Branch.

Manitoba's Act says that when someone occupies a rental unit without a tenancy agreement, the landlord does not have to use the Residential Tenancies Branch and writ process to get the unit back, though it may choose to. A tenancy agreement can be written, oral or implied, and the Branch will decide whether a person is a tenant if asked.

Under The Trespass Act, staying on premises after the owner or occupier asks a person to leave is an offence, but that rule does not apply to someone who ordinarily lives there or is living there with the owner's or occupier's express or implied consent. So a person who moved in with permission cannot simply be removed under that offence. If the person may be a tenant, use the Branch, which issues an order of possession that the Sheriff enforces through a writ from the Court of King's Bench.

Saskatchewan's Act covers tenancy agreements that are written or oral, express or implied, where rent is paid to possess the unit, so a person with no written lease who pays rent may be a tenant. A tenant, including a former tenant who stays after the tenancy ends, can only be removed with an order for possession from the Office of Residential Tenancies and a writ of possession directed to a sheriff. The Act does not say in words how it treats someone who never had any agreement, so ask the Office if you are unsure.

Under The Trespass to Property Act, a person with no right to be there must leave as soon as practicable when the occupier asks, orally or in writing, and a peace officer may also ask them to leave and may arrest without a warrant. Where that Act conflicts with another Act, the other Act wins, so our reading is that the tenancy Act governs anyone who is a tenant.

In Ontario, a tenancy agreement can be written, oral or implied, and a person who pays rent for the right to occupy can be a tenant with nothing in writing. The Landlord and Tenant Board's guidelines say a person found to be only an occupant has no rights at the Board, and any rights they have must be sought in court. If a tenant handed the unit to someone without a proper assignment or sublet, you have 60 days after discovering it to apply to the Board; if you do not, the occupant becomes a tenant.

Under the Trespass to Property Act, a person who does not leave immediately when the occupier tells them to commits an offence, and since 2025 staying more than 24 hours after notice counts against them as an aggravating factor. The occupier or a police officer may arrest a trespasser without a warrant, and the person must then be handed to the police promptly. For a tenant, only the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) can enforce an eviction order.

New Brunswick's Act defines a tenancy agreement as one that grants the right to possess premises in exchange for rent, so someone who never had such an agreement is not a tenant under the Act. The Trespass Act covers entering or staying on premises without lawful authority after notice, which can be oral, written or by posted signs. An owner or occupier may ask for identification and, if it is refused, arrest the person and hand them to a peace officer, and a peace officer may arrest without a warrant.

The Trespass Act does not apply to someone who is on premises under an Act of the Legislature, so our reading is that a real tenant is removed through the residential tenancies process: an eviction order from a residential tenancies officer, enforced by a sheriff. The province says a tenant who was evicted and goes back in without the landlord's permission is trespassing.

In Nova Scotia, a landlord and tenant relationship exists when a person occupies premises and has paid or agreed to pay rent, so someone who never paid or agreed to pay rent does not appear to fit the Act's definitions (no section deals with squatters directly). The Protection of Property Act makes it an offence to stay on premises after the occupier tells you to leave, a police officer may arrest for that offence if the arrest is needed to stop it continuing or to establish the person's identity, and civil remedies such as an injunction remain available.

If the person paid or agreed to pay rent, use the Residential Tenancies Program. The Director's order can be made an order of the Small Claims Court once the 10-day appeal period passes, and the Small Claims Court then issues an Order for Vacant Possession.

PEI's Act covers tenancy agreements that are written or oral, express or implied. On the Act's wording, a person who never had any agreement with the landlord is not a tenant, though no official page says so expressly. Under the Trespass to Property Act, staying on premises after the occupier tells a person to leave is an offence, police may arrest to stop it continuing or to establish identity, and an injunction remains available.

If the person may be a tenant, a landlord cannot regain possession unless the tenant has left or the Director of Residential Tenancy has ordered them to vacate and the order has been sent to the sheriff. The sheriff waits until the appeal period has ended.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Act applies only where a landlord and tenant relationship exists, which generally needs rent paid or promised, though an oral or implied agreement is enough. On our reading of its text, someone who never had any agreement and never paid or promised rent is outside the Act. If you and the occupant disagree, either of you can ask an adjudicator to decide whether the Act applies, and a case found to be outside it may be sent to a court. People living with a tenant who have not agreed to pay rent are occupants, not tenants.

We could not confirm which provincial trespass law covers a person in a private home, so speak to the police or a lawyer about someone with no agreement. If the person is a tenant, you need an order of possession from the Residential Tenancies Office, which you file with the Office of the High Sheriff to enforce.