Eviction Notices in Canada: Rules by Province

Every province and territory in Canada sets its own rules for residential tenancies, including how and when a landlord can evict a tenant. There is no single federal eviction law. Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and the other provinces each have their own residential tenancy legislation and their own tribunal.

What stays constant across the country is the basic shape of the process. A landlord cannot simply change the locks or remove a tenant's belongings. Ending a tenancy generally requires a valid ground, a written notice on the correct official form, and in most cases an order from the province's tenancy tribunal or a court before anyone can actually be removed.

This guide compares notice periods and tribunals in the provinces where the rules are clearly documented by government sources: Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. For a broader look at Canada tenant rights, or for a province not covered in detail below, contact that province's own residential tenancy office directly rather than relying on a notice period from a different jurisdiction.

How the Eviction Process Works Across Canada

Forms and timelines differ from province to province, but the process generally follows the same pattern everywhere.

1. The landlord needs a ground recognized under that province's tenancy law, such as unpaid rent, property damage, disturbing other tenants, or a genuine plan to occupy the unit.
2. The landlord serves a written notice on the government's official form, stating the ground relied on and a termination date that meets the minimum notice period.
3. The tenant can often stop the process by paying overdue rent, fixing the problem, or disputing the notice with the tribunal.
4. If the tenant does not move out and the issue is not resolved, the landlord must apply to the tribunal or a court for an order ending the tenancy.
5. Only after that order is issued, and usually only through a sheriff, bailiff, or other enforcement officer, can a tenant actually be removed from the unit.

A notice to end a tenancy is not the same thing as an eviction. In every province summarized below, a landlord who serves a valid notice still needs a tribunal or court order if the tenant does not leave voluntarily.

Notice Periods and Tribunals by Province

The table summarizes the tribunal and some of the most common notice periods in each province. Exact rules depend on the specific ground and the type of tenancy, so treat this as a starting point rather than a substitute for checking the current official notice.

Ontario

Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) hears all eviction applications. A landlord who wants to evict for unpaid rent must first serve an N4, giving 7 days to pay before applying to the Board. That 7-day period applies to every type of tenancy for notices given on or after September 21, 2026; notices given before then required 14 days for a monthly or yearly tenancy.

For a landlord's or purchaser's own use, Ontario requires an N12 with at least 60 days notice, and the landlord must also compensate the tenant with one month's rent or an acceptable alternative unit, except that no compensation is owed on a landlord's own use notice served on or after September 21, 2026 with a termination date at least 120 days after it is given. Only the Board can issue an eviction order, and only the Sheriff's office can enforce it. A landlord cannot remove a tenant on their own.

For more on this ground specifically, see N12 and landlord's own use and renoviction and bad-faith eviction.

British Columbia

In BC, the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) handles disputes. A 10-day notice applies to unpaid rent, while cause-based evictions, such as repeated late rent or property damage, require 1 month.

Rules for a landlord's or purchaser's use changed in 2025, moving to a 3-month notice, and the landlord or a close family member must then occupy the unit for at least 12 months. A landlord must obtain an Order of Possession from the RTB before removing a tenant.

Alberta

Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act allows a landlord to give 14 clear days' notice for either unpaid rent or a substantial breach, such as damage or disturbance. A tenant cannot dispute a properly served 14-day non-payment notice, but paying everything owed before the termination date keeps the tenancy alive.

For a landlord's own use, the standard notice is 3 months for a month-to-month tenancy, or 90 days before the end of a tenancy year for a yearly lease. If a tenant does not leave, the landlord must apply to the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service (RTDRS) or the courts; changing the locks is not a lawful shortcut.

Quebec

Quebec's system works differently from the rest of Canada. Tenancies are governed by the Civil Code of Québec, and disputes go to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). There is no fixed notice to vacate for unpaid rent. Once a tenant is more than 3 weeks late, the landlord can apply directly to the TAL to recover the rent and terminate the lease, and a tenant can still stop the termination by paying everything owed before the TAL decides.

To repossess a unit for personal use, a landlord must give written notice 6 months before the end of a lease longer than 6 months, 1 month before the end of a shorter lease, or 6 months before the intended repossession date if the lease has no fixed term. The tenant then has 1 month to respond, and staying silent counts as a refusal, which sends the matter to the TAL.

Manitoba

Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Branch oversees tenancy disputes using its own numbered forms. For unpaid rent, a landlord can give notice, using Form 8, as early as the 5th day of the rental period the rent covers.

For a landlord's own use, demolition, renovation or change of use, the required notice generally runs from 3 to 5 months, depending on the local vacancy rate. Families with school-aged children who receive one of these notices generally cannot be required to move before the end of the school year, even if the notice itself was served earlier.

Saskatchewan

The Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) administers Saskatchewan's tenancy law. Once rent is 15 or more days late, a landlord can serve an Immediate Notice to Vacate and Notice of Arrears, then apply to the ORT for an order of possession. Despite the word immediate, a tenant generally stays in the unit until the ORT hearing is complete.

Most other grounds require at least 1 month's notice, and a landlord who wants to end a tenancy so they or a close family member can move in must give 2 months' notice.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Program uses Form D for rent arrears. Rules that took effect in 2025 shortened the timeline. A landlord can serve Form D once rent is at least 3 days overdue, and the tenant then has 10 days from service to pay the arrears in full or the tenancy ends.

If the tenant does not pay or move out, the landlord applies to the Director using Form J for a hearing, or Form K for a non-hearing arrears order. For other grounds, notice periods vary with the tenancy, so contact the Residential Tenancies Program for the current figure.

Other provinces and territories

New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and the territories each have their own tenancy legislation and their own tribunal or director. Contact that jurisdiction's residential tenancy office for current notice periods rather than relying on a figure from a different province.

Rent Increases Follow a Different Process

A notice to increase the rent is not an eviction notice. The two follow separate rules and separate forms in every province. See rent increase rules for how much notice a landlord must give before raising the rent, and how that differs from ending a tenancy.

Self-Help Eviction Is Not Legal Anywhere in Canada

No province allows a landlord to remove a tenant by changing the locks, shutting off utilities, removing belongings, or simply telling the tenant to leave by a certain date. In every jurisdiction summarized above, an unresolved eviction notice must go to the tribunal or a court, and only a sheriff, bailiff, or similar enforcement officer can carry out a removal once an order is issued.

A tenant who receives a notice does not have to move out immediately just because the notice says so. Reading the notice carefully, confirming which form and ground the landlord used, and contacting the applicable tribunal are reasonable first steps in every province.

For a notice under Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act specifically, the Ontario tenancy notice calculator works out the earliest valid termination date for forms like N4, N5, N7, N8, N9, N12, and N13, and whether N12 compensation applies.

What To Do If You Receive an Eviction Notice

• Confirm the notice uses the correct official form for that ground and province.
• Check the termination date against the minimum notice period that applies to that ground.
• If the notice is for unpaid rent, find out whether paying what is owed stops the process. In several provinces, it does.
• Contact the provincial tribunal, such as the LTB, RTB, TAL, RTDRS, Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Branch, the ORT, or Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Program, to ask about disputing the notice.
• Do not move out solely because a notice was served. In most provinces, only a tribunal or court order actually ends the tenancy.

For a wider look at tenant protections across the country, see Canada tenant rights. For other legal topics organized by jurisdiction, see Canadian law by province.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about eviction notice rules across Canadian provinces. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Eviction rules depend on the province, the specific ground relied on, and the facts of an individual tenancy, and they change over time. A tenant or landlord facing an actual eviction notice should confirm current rules with the applicable provincial tenancy tribunal and consult a licensed lawyer or paralegal where the amounts or stakes involved are significant.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much notice does a landlord have to give to evict a tenant in Canada?

It depends on the province and the ground for eviction. Among the provinces summarized here, notice for unpaid rent ranges from about 3 to 15 days before a landlord can act, while notice for a landlord's own use generally runs from 2 to 6 months. There is no single Canada-wide notice period.

Can a landlord evict a tenant without going to a tribunal?

Generally no. Serving a notice is only the first step. If the tenant does not leave voluntarily, the landlord in every province covered here must apply to a tribunal or a court and obtain an order before the tenant can actually be removed.

Is it legal for a landlord to change the locks to evict a tenant?

No. Self-help eviction, including changing locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities without a tribunal or court order, is not a lawful way to end a tenancy anywhere in Canada.

Can I dispute an eviction notice?

Yes. Every provincial tenancy tribunal covered here, including the LTB, RTB, TAL, RTDRS, Manitoba's Residential Tenancies Branch, the ORT, and Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Program, allows a tenant to dispute a notice or an application before an order is made.

Does paying overdue rent stop an eviction for non-payment?

In several provinces, yes, at least up to a point. Ontario, Alberta and Quebec generally allow a tenant to stop an eviction for unpaid rent by paying everything owed before a tribunal decision or order is made, though a pattern of repeated late payment can sometimes be treated as a separate ground.

What is the difference between an eviction notice and a rent increase notice?

They are separate processes with separate rules. An eviction notice ends a tenancy. A rent increase notice does not end anything by itself. See rent increase rules for how those notice periods work in each province.