Landlord Entry and Tenant Privacy Rules in Canada

In Canada, a landlord cannot enter a tenant's rental unit whenever they choose. Provincial tenancy law requires advance written notice, usually 24 hours, for a specific and reasonable purpose, and it permits entry without any notice only in a genuine emergency or with the tenant's consent.

Information last verified on 19 July 2026. This guide is general legal information, not legal advice.

Jurisdiction scope: Residential tenancy law is set by each province and territory, not one federal statute. This guide compares Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia; see the Canada tenant rights hub for other provinces, which generally follow a similar 24-hour model. The camera and recording sections draw on federal law, the Criminal Code and PIPEDA, or the equivalent provincial privacy statute in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec. General information, not advice on a specific tenancy.

Can a landlord enter without notice in Canada?

No. In every Canadian province, a landlord's right to enter a rented home is limited by statute, not by ownership of the property. Once a tenant takes possession under a lease, the unit is the tenant's home for tenancy-law purposes, and access is restricted to circumstances set out in the applicable residential tenancies act.

The rule is similar across the country: entry requires advance written notice, a permitted purpose, and a reasonable time of day. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 prohibits a landlord from substantially interfering with a tenant's reasonable enjoyment of the unit. British Columbia's Residential Tenancy Act protects a tenant's right to reasonable privacy as part of quiet enjoyment. Quebec's Civil Code obliges a lessor to provide peaceable enjoyment of the property throughout the lease. The narrow exceptions are a genuine emergency and the tenant's own consent at the time.

How much notice must a landlord give, and at what hours?

The starting point in most provinces is the same number: 24 hours. Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia all require at least 24 hours' notice before routine entry, though the permitted entry hours, the maximum notice window, and whether verbal notice is enough differ by province.

The notice must state the reason and the date and time of entry, inside the province's permitted window. A landlord who gives only a vague heads-up, or a few hours short of the required period, has not given valid notice; Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board has found even a small shortfall makes an entry unauthorized.

What counts as a valid reason for entry?

A landlord cannot enter simply because they own the building. Provincial statutes list specific permitted purposes, similar from province to province: carrying out repairs and maintenance, inspecting the unit's general condition, letting a mortgage lender, insurer, or qualified professional inspect it, and showing the unit to a prospective buyer.

Ontario and British Columbia set out this kind of closed list for entry with 24 hours' notice. Quebec's Civil Code frames it as the lessor's right to ascertain the property's condition, carry out work, or have it visited by a prospective purchaser, exercised reasonably. Entry has to match the stated purpose; a landlord who gives notice for a repair and instead looks through personal belongings has gone beyond what the law allows.

When can a landlord enter without any notice at all?

Only in narrow circumstances. Every province recognizes a genuine emergency, such as fire, flooding, or a gas leak, as grounds for immediate entry without notice. A landlord can also enter at any time with the tenant's consent given at that moment, though the consent has to be real, not something the tenant felt pressured into.

Quebec allows urgent repairs, such as a major plumbing leak, without advance notice. British Columbia also permits entry under an arbitrator's or court order, or where the unit appears abandoned. Outside these situations, a landlord who lets themselves in with a key while the tenant is out has not complied with the Act, even if nothing goes wrong.

Can a landlord show my unit to prospective tenants before I move out?

Yes, but it depends on where things stand. While the lease is ongoing and no notice to end it has been given, a landlord showing the unit to a prospective tenant or buyer still needs 24 hours' written notice, the same as for a repair visit.

Once the tenancy is ending, either by the tenant's own notice or a landlord's eviction order, the rules loosen. In Ontario, a landlord may show the unit to prospective tenants between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. after a reasonable effort to inform the current tenant, without a full 24-hour notice each time. In Quebec, once notice of non-renewal has been given, the lessor can have the unit visited without the usual advance notice, though the parties are generally encouraged to agree on timing. A tenant uncomfortable with the frequency of showings can still raise it with the provincial tribunal if visits become excessive.

What can a tenant do if a landlord enters illegally?

Start by documenting what happened: the date, time, who entered, and why, with photos of anything disturbed. A single late-notice visit and a pattern of unannounced entries are treated differently, so a record matters if the problem continues.

Every province gives tenants a path to the tenancy tribunal. In Ontario, a tenant can file Form T2 with the Landlord and Tenant Board, which can order the landlord to stop, pay compensation, or reduce rent. In British Columbia, a tenant can apply for dispute resolution through the Residential Tenancy Branch, which can issue a monetary order or let the tenant change the locks. In Quebec, the Tribunal administratif du logement can order access on conditions, or award damages, where a lessor has repeatedly ignored the rules.

Can a landlord put a security camera in my rental unit?

Generally, no. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has stated that cameras should not capture the inside of a tenant's apartment, and a landlord who installs one there is collecting personal information without the purpose and consent privacy law requires. In Ontario, an unauthorized camera inside a unit has been treated by the Landlord and Tenant Board as interference with reasonable enjoyment, giving grounds to apply for its removal and compensation.

Cameras in shared hallways, entrances, parking areas, or the building's exterior are more commonly permitted, since they do not capture private living space, but they are not a blank cheque. A landlord running one is still collecting personal information about tenants and visitors, so they should identify its purpose, post signage, and limit who can access the footage. These obligations come from PIPEDA federally, or British Columbia's, Alberta's, or Quebec's own private-sector statute where it applies instead. See Canada data privacy laws for the fuller picture.

Can I record my landlord or property manager?

Generally, yes, if you are a participant in the conversation. Canada's Criminal Code makes it an offence to intercept a private communication using a recording device, but that offence does not apply where the person recording is the originator or intended recipient, often called one-party consent. In practice, a tenant present for a conversation with their landlord, superintendent, or property manager can generally record it without telling the other person first.

That exception covers the tenant's own conversations, not a hidden recorder capturing other people's private conversations the tenant is not part of, and provincial privacy law can still govern how a recording is stored and used. See Canada recording laws for the full rules on consent and how recordings can be used, including before a tenancy tribunal.

Frequently asked questions

Disclaimer

This article is general legal information about landlord entry and tenant privacy rules in Canada, current as of 19 July 2026. It summarizes provincial tenancy statutes and federal privacy and recording law, but it does not cover every province and territory in detail, and it is not legal advice about a specific tenancy. Notice periods and remedies can change, and applying them to a real dispute depends on the facts. For advice on a specific situation, contact a lawyer or paralegal licensed in your province, or your provincial tenancy tribunal, such as Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board, British Columbia's Residential Tenancy Branch, or Quebec's Tribunal administratif du logement. For related guides, see Canada tenant rights, repairs and maintenance obligations, and Canadian law by province.