What do I do if my landlord wants me to move out?

An Alberta landlord's notice must be in writing, give the address, be signed by the landlord, state the reason and set out the termination date. To end a month-to-month tenancy when you have done nothing wrong, the landlord needs a reason from the government's list, such as the landlord or a relative moving in, and 3 tenancy months' notice served on or before the first day of the three-month period; a major renovation that needs the unit empty takes 365 days. A notice for unpaid rent gives at least 14 clear days, and paying everything owing by the termination date cancels it.

A fixed-term lease is different: it ends on its end date without any notice, so you have no right to stay past it unless you agree to a new lease (if the landlord keeps accepting rent with no new agreement, it becomes a periodic tenancy). If you object to a 14-day notice for a substantial breach, tell the landlord in writing before the 14 days end. If you stay past a notice date, the landlord has to get an order from the RTDRS or the court, and only a civil enforcement bailiff can remove you.

British Columbia landlords must use Residential Tenancy Branch forms. A notice for the landlord's own use (RTB-32L) or a buyer's use (RTB-32P) gives 3 months and has to be generated through the Branch's web portal; demolition or conversion takes a Four Month Notice, and a renovation that needs the unit empty needs an arbitrator's order. A landlord's-use notice cannot end a fixed term early. For a landlord's-use, buyer's-use, demolition or conversion notice, you are entitled to one month's rent, which you can take by not paying your last month's rent.

To challenge a notice, apply for dispute resolution: within 5 days of a 10 Day Notice for unpaid rent (paying in full within those 5 days cancels it), 10 days of a One Month Notice for cause, or 21 days of a purchaser's notice. On a month-to-month tenancy you can leave sooner than a landlord's-use date by giving 10 days' written notice. If you stay, the landlord needs an order of possession, and only a court bailiff can enforce it.

A Manitoba landlord can end a tenancy without fault only for a reason in the Act: the landlord or the landlord's spouse, parent or adult child will move in, a buyer who will live there asks for it, or the unit will be demolished, renovated or converted. For own use or renovation, the notice is 3, 4 or 5 months depending on the vacancy rate, the landlord must pay your reasonable moving costs up to $500, and the notice cannot take effect before the end of a fixed term. If you live with a school-age child, the landlord cannot make you leave on one of these notices before the end of the school year.

For other problems, the landlord usually has to give you a written warning and time to fix it first, then a notice of one rental payment period (5 days in very serious cases). A notice for unpaid rent is cancelled if you pay the full amount owing by the date on it. If you stay, the landlord has to apply to the Residential Tenancies Branch for an order of possession; only Sheriff's Officers acting under a writ can remove you, and the Branch can penalize a landlord who locks you out.

In Saskatchewan, a landlord who wants to end a month-to-month tenancy without fault must state the reason. The landlord, a close family member or a friend moving in, or a renovation or demolition that needs the unit empty (with all permits in hand), takes at least 2 months; a sale where the buyer or the buyer's family will move in takes 1 month. A notice for cause takes at least one month, and the landlord must first give you a reasonable chance to fix anything that can be fixed. You have 15 days to dispute either kind of notice in writing.

After a no-fault notice you can leave sooner by giving 10 days' notice, and if the landlord does not use the unit for the stated purpose for at least 6 months you can claim your losses. A fixed-term lease ends on its end date unless you sign a new agreement, and at least two months before it ends the landlord has to serve a Two Month Notice of Intention form. If you stay past a notice date, the landlord needs an order of possession, and only the sheriff can enforce it.

An Ontario landlord has to use the Landlord and Tenant Board form for the reason: N12 when the landlord, a family member or a buyer will move in (at least 60 days), N13 for demolition, conversion or major repairs (120 days), N4 for unpaid rent (7 days), and N5, N6 or N7 for problems caused by the tenant. No-fault notices must end on the last day of a rental period or of your fixed term. For an N12 for the landlord's own use served on or after September 21, 2026, no compensation is owed if the landlord gives at least 120 days' notice; with less, you get one month's rent or another unit you accept.

A notice cannot remove you on its own. If you stay, the landlord has to apply to the Board, you can respond at the hearing, and only the Court Enforcement Office (Sheriff) can enforce an eviction order. Paying everything owed before the landlord files cancels an N4. You do not have to sign an N11 agreement to end the tenancy, and if a landlord does not move in after an N12, the Board can award you money for bad faith.

A New Brunswick landlord can end a tenancy without fault only for a listed reason stated in the notice, such as the landlord or a close family member moving in for at least 3 months, and must give at least 1 month before the end of a month (3 months if you have lived there 5 years or more). A renovation needs approval from the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office first, and selling the property is not a reason on its own. A Notice to Vacate for unpaid rent gives at least 15 days, and paying everything within 7 days cancels it, unless it is a final notice.

If you disagree with a notice for the landlord's own use, ask the Office for a review within 15 days; if you do not, you are treated as accepting it. Only a Residential Tenancies Officer or a judge of the Court of King's Bench can evict you, and a sheriff carries out the order. An officer hears from you before deciding, and a decision can be taken to the Court of King's Bench within 7 days. If the landlord does not use the unit for the stated reason, you can apply for compensation within two years.

Nova Scotia has no general no-fault notice. For the landlord's or a family member's own use, the landlord has to apply to the Director and get an order; for demolition or a major renovation, it takes your signed agreement on form DR5 or a Director's order, and you get the last month or the last 3 months rent-free, depending on the size of the building. A sale ends a tenancy only in a property of 4 or fewer units where the buyer or their family will live there, with at least 2 months' notice on form DR2.

A notice for unpaid rent takes effect no earlier than the 10th day after it is given, and within 10 days you can pay the arrears (which voids it) or apply to the Director to set it aside. A breach notice on Form E gives 15 days and can also be challenged. If you stay, the landlord needs a Director's order, which after the 10-day appeal period can be made a Small Claims Court order and enforced by the sheriff. Locks can be changed only by mutual consent.

In PEI, a landlord needs a reason from the Act. The landlord or family moving in takes at least 4 months; a sale (only in a building with fewer than 3 units or a condo unit) takes 2 or 4 months; demolition takes 6 months; and a renovation needs the Director's approval first, then 6 months. For these notices the landlord owes one month's rent plus reasonable moving expenses (or another unit you accept, for own use, sale or demolition), and you have 1 month to dispute. None of them can end a fixed term early.

A notice for unpaid rent ends the tenancy no earlier than 20 days after you get it, and paying within 10 days cancels it. A notice for cause gives one month, with 10 days to dispute. The landlord cannot take possession without a Director's order sent to the sheriff, and an order can be appealed to IRAC within 20 days (7 days for an order to vacate for unpaid rent or cause).

Newfoundland and Labrador is the one province covered here where a landlord can end a tenancy without giving a reason. The notice must be at least 3 months before the end of a rental period for a month-to-month tenancy, or 3 months before the end of a fixed term, and it must cover full rental periods. A landlord cannot give notice in retaliation for a complaint or application you made, and you have one month to apply to set such a notice aside.

Shorter notices need a cause: 10 days once rent is 5 days overdue (paying it all before the date voids the notice, but only twice in 12 months), one month after a written warning for a material breach, and 5 days for damage that is not repaired or interference with others. If you stay past the date, the landlord has to get an Order of Possession from the Residential Tenancies Office, and only the sheriff can enforce it.