Changing the Locks as a Landlord in Nova Scotia

Not during the tenancy, unless the tenant agrees. Statutory Condition 8 in section 9(1) of the Residential Tenancies Act says that, except by mutual consent, the landlord or the tenant shall not alter, or cause to be altered, the lock or locking system on any door that gives entry to the premises while the tenant occupies under the tenancy. The rule binds both sides. A tenant also may not swap the lock on you.

The province's plain-language Renting guide puts it the same way: locks can only be changed if both the tenant and the landlord agree. It adds that the landlord is allowed to have a key to the unit. That statement is in the guide, and the Act text reviewed for this guide does not repeat it. So treat the key point as the province's guidance and ask the Residential Tenancies Program if a key dispute comes up. See also is a landlord allowed to have a key.

Three other provisions bear on locking a tenant out.

• Free access. Section 5A says a landlord shall not bar a tenant from free access to the residential premises during the term of the tenancy.
• Belongings. Section 5(1) says a landlord shall not hold or dispose of a tenant's personal property except in accordance with a Director's order, or as otherwise authorized by law.
• Notice to quit. Section 10(3A) says a landlord shall not give a notice to quit except in accordance with section 10.

The Act does not use the words "lockout" or "self-help eviction". Reading Statutory Condition 8 together with sections 5A and 10(3A), a landlord who changes the lock to end a tenancy appears to be acting outside the Act. That is a reading of the sections combined, not an official statement, so confirm it with the program if your situation is not clear. Whatever the label, the practical point is the same: the Act sets the ways a tenancy may be ended, and changing a lock is not one of them.

If your goal is to end the tenancy, use the process the Act provides.

1. Give a proper notice to quit. It must be one section 10 allows, in writing, signed, describing the premises, stating the day the tenancy ends, and in the form the Director requires. Which notice depends on the reason; see landlord notices to end a tenancy in Nova Scotia.
2. Apply to the Director if the tenant stays. Use Form J. The Director is the first-instance authority.
3. Enforce the decision. The province's Resolving Disputes guide says that, depending on the issue, you may need an Execution Order, a Certificate of Judgment, or an Order for Vacant Possession, and that an Order for Vacant Possession comes from Small Claims Court.

Each party has 10 days from the date of the Director's order to file an appeal with Small Claims Court, according to the same guide. For timing and steps, read how to evict a tenant in Nova Scotia.

If your real concern is access, such as an inspection or repair, the lock is not the tool. Statutory Condition 7 requires written notice stating a reasonable purpose, a time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. unless the tenant agrees otherwise, given at least 24 hours and not more than 30 days before the day of entry. Condition 7A allows entry without written notice in listed cases, including an emergency where entry is needed to protect life or property. Details are in the Nova Scotia landlord entry guide.

Section 23 makes a violation of the Act or of an order an offence punishable on summary conviction, with a fine of not more than $1,000. A prosecution needs the Attorney General's consent. The Act also covers a landlord who acts against a tenant for going to a government authority or enforcing their rights. No official page reviewed explains how penalties are applied in practice.

A tenant who believes you broke these rules can apply to the Director on Form J. The Director's powers under section 17A include ordering a landlord to take action to remedy a breach and ordering compensation for loss suffered as a direct result of the breach. The province also has a Request for Emergency Hearing (Form DR9), but its page gives termination of tenancy and damage to property as examples, and the sources reviewed do not name a specific emergency remedy for a lockout.

The standard lease, in the Standard Form of Lease Regulations, has a tick box in the tenant responsibilities clause for "locked out charges/keys not to exceed" a dollar amount the parties fill in. If you want to charge for lockouts or keys, that is where it belongs, in the lease itself. Those regulations now read as amended to N.S. Reg. 120/2026 and the change was not identified in the sources reviewed, so check the current text.

The sources reviewed do not set a deadline for giving a tenant a new key after a lost key, do not say who pays for a lost key beyond the lease box, and do not address a tenant adding a deadbolt or smart lock or what a tenant who changes a lock must hand over. The part of section 10 reviewed that names breaches of Statutory Conditions lists conditions 3 and 4, not 8, so ask the program which notice fits a tenant who changes the lock without your agreement.

Halifax only. By-law M-200 of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a municipal by-law, requires owners of mini-suites to provide working locks on tenant suites, operable from inside without keys. It applies only to that part of the by-law, only in that municipality.

This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.