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Ontario tenants worried their landlord will illegally lock them out of their home can take a few important steps now to prepare and give the legal system the best chance of getting them back into their rented space if that happens. Thread:
1. You need a safe place outside of your apartment to store information and documents, whether that place is digital (email or cloud) or physical (envelope). While social distancing, deliver the envelope to someone you trust who isn& #39;t far away. Otherwise keep it on your person.
1. (continued) this needs to be something you can reliably access if you are unexpectedly locked out. Saving photos just on your cellphone isn& #39;t good enough: you will need to share documents with service providers, and phones have a way of getting lost or broken.
2. In your safe place or envelope, store your landlord(s) full name(s), addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses if you can find them. Try to distinguish between who owns the building, who manages it, and any superintendents. The more contact info the better.
3. Keep documents (or clear photos) that show you are a tenant of the current rental unit. These include: your lease, rent receipts, and a few pieces of mail you have recieved at that address, screenshots of texts or emails between you and the landlord... the more the better.
4. Save the full names + contact info of friends, family, and neighbours who could confirm that you live in your rented space and who have visited you there before. If you have met your neighbours but don& #39;t know this info, consider sliding notes under doors giving your info.
5. If you can, take clear photos of all your belongings in your rented space, far back enough to recognize the room. Take some selfies. Make sure your camera has the right date and time set.
6. Keep all ID documents on your person at all times, or in a place you can easily grab it if you are being dragged out of your home.
7. Look up your local community legal clinic by entering your postal code here: https://www.legalaid.on.ca/legal-clinics/ ">https://www.legalaid.on.ca/legal-cli... and save that contact info (especially the phone number). Also write down: 1-888-772-9277 (Rental Housing Enforcement Unit) and 311 (municipal shelter intake).
8. During the pandemic, it may be challenging for legal aid clinics, government, and police to get you back into your home, and for you to find a place to stay in the meantime. Look around your rented space: if you were locked out and had to break back in, how would you do it?
9. If you are a tenant and you have not been legally evicted, then you have a legal right to remain in your home. Not everyone agrees, but in this situation I also believe you would have a right to regain access to your home by force, if necessary (though it may be dangerous).
9. (continued) to clarify, I do not mean using violent force against humans. I mean that you might need to break one of your windows and then secure it later...as long as you have the above documentation to show the police that you are not a trespasser or a burglar. Very risky.
10. *Optional* still looking for things to do? Make an inventory of your belongings, beginning with the most valuable. For each thing, get a clear photo of it in the place it normally sits; write down what the thing is, when you bought or received it, and about how much you paid.
