Landlord’s Right to Enter
Landlords have rights to access residential rental units in some situations, but there are important restrictions on those rights. A landlord may enter:
- Any common areas that are shared with others like hallways, courtyards and laundry facilities – no notice is required
- The rental unit once per month to inspect the condition of the property – proper notice to tenants is required
- To show the property to prospective buyers – proper notice to tenants is required
The tenant doesn’t need to be present for the landlord to enter as long as proper notice was provided.
Proper notice means a tenant is given written notice of the date, time and purpose for entering the property. By law, notice must be delivered in-person or considered by law to have been given to the tenant at least 24 hours before the landlord enters the unit.
The time scheduled for entry must be between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., unless another time is agreed upon by the landlord and tenant. The purpose for entering a rental unit must be reasonable – a landlord may enter a tenant’s rental unit only when:
- There’s an emergency and entry is necessary to protect life or property
- The tenant is at home and agrees to let the landlord in
- The tenant agreed, not more than 30 days before, to let the landlord enter
- The tenant was given written notice outlining the date, time (between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.) and purpose – at least 24 hours before and not more than 30 days before
- The tenant has abandoned the rental unit
- The tenant lives in a hotel and someone comes in to clean the room
- The landlord has an arbitrator’s order or court order to enter the rental unit