What if my landlord harasses me or invades my privacy?
Important COVID-19 updates
Time limits: When figuring out the deadline to take a legal step, the time between March 16 and September 14, 2020 does not count. This is because of an emergency that stopped all time limits to start a case during that time. Find out how this could affect you.
Landlord and Tenant Board: The LTB is holding most hearings remotely, by phone, video, or in writing. Some people have had trouble connecting to remote hearings. If you have a video hearing scheduled, download Microsoft Teams ahead of time and make sure your setup is working.
There have also been reports that it can take a long time to get through to the LTB by phone. If you need help right away, contact a lawyer or your local community legal clinic.
You have the right to use and enjoy your home. Your landlord is not allowed to harass you, threaten you, or invade your privacy. For example, your landlord should not threaten to you without a good reason, call you racist names, sexually harass you, threaten to cut off a vital service such as electricity or water, or come into your place except when the law allows them to.
If your landlord or someone working for your landlord does any of these things, there are steps you can take to try to stop the harassment or get your landlord to respect your privacy.
If your landlord won’t stop their behaviour, you can apply to the .
If the Board finds that your landlord has not been following the law, the Board can order your landlord to stop the behaviour.
The Board can also order your landlord to compensate you by paying you money or reducing your rent.
You must follow the right steps to get the Board to hear your case. And you will have to show evidence to the Board to prove that there is a problem.
Time limit
It is best to apply to the Board within one year after the problem started. The Board can only give you money for problems going back one year before you applied. For example, if the stopped after 6 months and you apply to the Board 10 months after that, you can only get compensation for two months.
The Board will look separately at each problem to figure out whether you have applied in time.
