5. Find a temporary solution

You will probably have to wait several days before the Board can hear your case. And there is no guarantee that, even after a Board hearing, the problem will be fixed quickly.

If you can’t stay in your place, you might have to find somewhere else to stay until the problem is fixed. You might have friends or relatives you can stay with for a little while. Or, if you belong to a faith community or similar organization, you might be able to ask for help there.

If the problem is with meals or care services, there might be a way you can get these services from a different source while you wait for your Board hearing.

If you have to pay for temporary accommodation or meals, make sure you keep all your receipts. If the Board finds that these expenses were reasonable and were caused by your landlord’s actions, the Board can make your landlord pay you back for them.

If you can’t find a temporary solution, call 211 or 311 and ask them for information about housing shelters and other services in your area.

In the longer term

Shutting off vital services on purpose might mean that your landlord is willing to break the law rather than deal with you reasonably. Think about whether your landlord is likely to change their behaviour. If you decide to keep living there, you might be at risk of other problems or emergencies happening in the future.