Know your rights

You come home to an N4, Notice to End your Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent, taped to your door, with a termination date two weeks away.

Your Rights

• An N4 is a notice, not an eviction. Only the Landlord and Tenant Board can end a tenancy, after an application and a hearing.
• For monthly tenancies the notice must give at least 14 days, and a defective notice can be challenged.
• Paying the full arrears before the termination date voids the N4.
• You are entitled to raise the landlord's conduct, such as disrepair or harassment, at the hearing.

What to do: Do not move out automatically. Keep the notice and note how and when it was served, then have it reviewed before the termination date.

Your tenant is three months behind, is not returning calls, and a friend suggests changing the locks while they are at work.

Your Rights

• Changing locks or cutting services without a Board order is illegal and can expose you to significant penalties.
• You are entitled to serve a proper notice and apply to the Board for arrears and eviction.
• You may claim the rent owing, and the process protects you when your paperwork is correct.

What to do: Serve the correct notice, keep a complete rent ledger and communication trail, and file the application promptly. Precision at this stage decides the hearing.

Another driver hits you from behind. Your neck stiffens overnight, you miss work, and the insurance calls begin.

Your Rights

• Accident benefits come from your own insurer, regardless of who was at fault.
• Notify your insurer within 7 days, or as soon as practicable, and return the application within 30 days of receiving the forms.
• Benefits can include medical and rehabilitation costs and income replacement.
• A denial is not the end. Disputes go to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, generally within 2 years of the denial.

What to do: See a doctor early, report the collision, keep every receipt, and have the OCF forms reviewed before you submit them. Small wording choices shape the whole claim.

An email arrives: a procedural fairness letter questioning your work experience, with 30 days to respond. Panic sets in.

Your Rights

• You are entitled to respond and to file evidence before a decision is made.
• You may use an authorized representative: a lawyer, a licensed paralegal acting within scope, or a licensed immigration consultant. Verify anyone who offers help on the public LSO or CICC registries.
• At Immigration and Refugee Board hearings you are entitled to an interpreter.
• Never sign blank forms, and never let anyone submit an application you have not read.

What to do: Calendar the deadline the day the letter arrives, gather documents immediately, and have the letter reviewed. The response is often your last chance to fix the record.