To enforce an eviction order in Ontario, you file a copy of the Landlord and Tenant Board order with the Court Enforcement Office (the Sheriff) for the area where the rental unit is located, pay the enforcement fees, and wait for the Sheriff to attend and give you possession. That is the only legal route. The Board does not enforce its own orders, and a landlord who changes the locks or shuts off services to force someone out is committing an offence under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, however strong the order in their hand is.
Most landlords treat the order as the finish line. It is closer to the midpoint. RentSetGo Property Management runs eviction files for Ottawa landlords, and the stage after the order is where files stall.
What is an eviction order, and when does the Board issue one?
An eviction order is the Board’s written decision ending a tenancy and requiring the tenant to move out by a stated date, issued after a hearing on a landlord’s application (a Form L1 for rent arrears, a Form L2 for most other grounds), or sometimes on consent or where the tenant does not appear.
Read the order the day it arrives, because its dates and figures drive everything that follows. It sets the termination date, when the tenancy ends, and the enforceable date, the day the order names as when the Court Enforcement Office may give the landlord possession. In an arrears case it also states the money: arrears found owing, daily compensation until the tenant leaves, and any costs awarded, including NSF bank charges. An order cannot take effect before the notice’s termination date, and before ordering an eviction the Board must consider whether to refuse or delay it under section 83 of the Act.
The order does not remove anyone. It authorizes the Sheriff to give possession after the enforceable date, and until the Sheriff attends, the tenant remains in lawful possession.
Can the tenant still stop the eviction by paying?
In an arrears case, yes. Section 74 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 gives the tenant three separate chances.
Before the order is issued, if the tenant pays the landlord all the arrears, the application fee, and any additional rent owing as of the payment date, the landlord’s application is discontinued under subsection 74(2).
After the order is issued but before it becomes enforceable, the order itself must state the amount that voids it. Under subsections 74(3) and 74(4), if the tenant pays that amount to the landlord, or into the Board’s trust account, on or before the enforceable date, the order is automatically void and the tenancy continues. Payment to the Board is confirmed by a notice from Board staff acknowledging the order is void.
After the order becomes enforceable but before the Sheriff enforces it, the tenant has one last route: a motion under subsection 74(11) to set the order aside. The tenant must have paid the full amount in the order plus any additional rent owing, NSF and administration charges, and the Board’s costs, and must file a sworn affidavit listing the payments. Filing the motion automatically stays the order under subsection 74(13), so the Sheriff cannot act until the Board decides. If the Board finds everything required was paid, it declares the order void. If not, it lifts the stay and enforcement resumes. Two catches: the motion can only be made once during a tenancy, and if you have already paid non-refundable Sheriff fees, the Board can order the tenant to repay that amount into the Board before the voiding is confirmed, under subsection 74(15).
None of this applies to an eviction for damage, illegal acts, or a landlord’s own use. The pay-to-void ladder exists only for arrears. For other grounds, a tenant’s routes are a request to review the order or an appeal, and either can stay enforcement while it runs.
Why can’t you change the locks yourself?
Because the Act reserves possession to the Sheriff, full stop. Section 39 says a landlord shall not recover possession unless the tenant has vacated or abandoned the unit, or a Board eviction order has authorized it, and even then the Court Enforcement Office does the enforcing. Section 24 prohibits altering the locking system on an entry door while the tenant is in possession, except with the tenant’s consent. Knowingly changing the locks contrary to that section is an offence under section 233, and unlawfully recovering possession is an offence under section 234.
The same logic covers the softer versions: removing doors or belongings, or having utilities cut off to pressure a tenant out. All of it is self-help eviction, and it hands the tenant a strong application against you. Without the Sheriff there is no enforcement, only liability.
How do you file the order with the Court Enforcement Office?
You file with the Court Enforcement Office for the area where the unit is located. For an Ottawa rental, that is the enforcement office at the Ottawa courthouse. To confirm any office, use the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Court Addresses page: choose the municipality where the unit is located, then “Enforcement” as the court office. The Board plays no part in this stage.
Bring the complete order, every page, your identification, and payment. Expect to complete an eviction information form covering access, occupants, pets, and any safety concerns. An order with a wrong unit description or a mismatched name is a problem to fix at the Board, not at the Sheriff’s counter.
The fees are set by regulation, Ontario Regulation 294/92 under the Administration of Justice Act, and they are the same across Ontario:
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Filing the order with the Sheriff | $75 | Paid when you file the order |
| Enforcing the order | $240 | Per attempt, whether or not the attempt succeeds |
| Mileage | Varies | Kilometric allowance for travel from the courthouse to the unit |
Budget $315 plus mileage as the floor for one successful enforcement. A failed attempt, for example where access could not be gained, is charged again on the next attempt. Where a tenant later voids an arrears order by paying in full, subsection 74(15) lets the Board order repayment of the non-refundable portion, but treat that as a recovery you might get, not money you still have.
Two deadlines govern the filing. Under section 81, an eviction order expires six months after the day it takes effect if it has not been filed with the Sheriff by then, and once expired it cannot be renewed or reapplied for on the same issue. Do not sit on an order. The clock does not run while the order is stayed by an appeal or a Board proceeding such as a review request or a set-aside motion. Once filed, Rule 60.10(4) of the Rules of Civil Procedure keeps the order enforceable for one year from the date it takes effect, and a court can extend that period.
The enforcement process, step by step
| Step | What happens | Timing and cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The order is issued | Read the termination date, the enforceable date, and the voiding amount. | Every later deadline runs from these dates |
| 2. The tenant leaves, pays, or stays | Leaving by the termination date ends the tenancy. In arrears cases, full payment by the enforceable date voids the order (section 74). | Check before paying any fee |
| 3. You file the order with the Sheriff | Take the complete order, ID and payment to the Court Enforcement Office and complete the eviction information form. | $75 filing fee; file within six months of the order taking effect (section 81) |
| 4. The Sheriff schedules the attendance | The office books the eviction and confirms your date. The Sheriff cannot attend before the enforceable date. | $240 plus mileage; scheduling depends on office workload |
| 5. Enforcement day | Officers attend, everyone in the unit must leave, and possession is given to you or your representative, with a locksmith attending to change the locks. | Attend or send a representative |
| 6. The 72 hours and the money | The tenant has 72 hours to retrieve belongings, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Money owing is collected separately. | Section 41 governs belongings |
What happens on enforcement day?
Sheriff’s officers attend at the scheduled time and take control. Anyone living in the unit must leave. Officers give the occupants a short opportunity to gather essential items, then possession is formally given to the landlord or representative waiting on site, and only then are the locks changed, which is why landlords book a locksmith for the scheduled time. If nobody is home, officers can still give possession. Your job is narrow: attend or send a representative, bring identification and a copy of the order, and do not enter until possession is given to you. Officers can ask police to attend to keep the peace, and problems with the enforcement itself go to the Sheriff’s office, not the Board. One exception is worth knowing: for the most serious grounds, an illegal act involving drugs, impairment of safety, or severe damage, section 84 requires the Board to ask the Sheriff to expedite enforcement, subject to the Board’s relief powers. Ordinary files do not qualify.
What happens to belongings left behind?
They are not yours for 72 hours, and treating them as abandoned on day one is one of the most common errors in the whole process. Under subsection 41(2), the landlord shall not sell, retain or otherwise dispose of the tenant’s property before 72 hours have elapsed after enforcement. Under subsection 41(3), the landlord must make the property available at a location close to the unit during those 72 hours, between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. It can stay in the unit or move to a nearby location.
After the 72 hours, subsection 41(1) lets the landlord sell, keep or dispose of what is left, and subsection 41(4) protects a landlord who follows the section from liability. The parties can also agree in writing to different terms under subsection 41(5). Failing to make the property available during the 72 hours is itself an offence, and it gives the former tenant a straightforward application to the Board.
A unit a tenant abandons without any eviction runs under section 42, with a Board order or a notice of intent to dispose and a 30-day wait. A Sheriff-enforced eviction is the 72-hour rule. Mixing the two up costs money either way.
How do you collect the arrears after the tenant is gone?
Possession and payment are separate problems, and the Sheriff solves only the first one. An eviction order that includes arrears is also a money order, but neither the Board nor the Sheriff collects it.
A certified copy of the Board’s order is filed with the Small Claims Court and enforced like a court judgment, which opens the standard tools. Garnishment directs money owed to the former tenant, most often wages from an employer or funds at a known bank branch, to the court instead. Ontario’s Wages Act generally protects 80 percent of net wages, so garnishment takes at most 20 percent of a paycheque at a time. A writ of seizure and sale, filed with the Sheriff, creates a claim against the debtor’s property and land in the enforcement area. An examination hearing puts a debtor under oath about their finances. Small Claims Court handles claims up to $50,000, the limit since October 1, 2025.
Two practical points before you spend anything. First, if you never got a money order because the tenant left before your application was heard, a Form L10 application lets you ask the Board for one, provided the tenant moved out on or after September 1, 2021 and you file within one year of the move-out date. Second, an order against someone with no wages, no bank balance and no assets collects nothing, whatever it says. Run the collectability check first: where do they work, where do they bank, what do they own. Our guide to what to do when a tenant is not paying rent in Ontario covers the stages before this order, from the Form N4 to the hearing.
How long does enforcement actually take?
No published service standard promises a Sheriff attendance by a set date, and a landlord who plans around a guaranteed date is planning around fiction. The Sheriff cannot act before the enforceable date in the order, so that date is the floor. After you file, the local office schedules attendances in the order files arrive, and its workload sets the pace. In practice, landlords commonly wait days to several weeks between filing and attendance. Treat that range as a planning estimate, not a standard anyone has committed to.
Three things stretch the timeline further, none in your control: a subsection 74(11) motion, a review request or an appeal (each can stay the order, and the six-month clock pauses during a stay), and a failed first attendance, which means a second fee and a new date. Our landlord legal compliance guide and our lease preparation and enforcement page cover the surrounding obligations.
What this guide can’t tell you
It cannot tell you your Sheriff date, because no office publishes one in advance. It cannot tell you whether your tenant will pay and void the order, leave on the termination date, or wait for the Sheriff; all three happen regularly. It cannot tell you whether the arrears are collectable, which depends on the former tenant’s income and assets, not the order. Office practice also varies by city. The law cited is province-wide. The logistics are Ottawa’s.
When does doing it yourself make sense?
A landlord with one Ottawa unit, a tenant likely to leave on the order, and a free afternoon for the courthouse can file and attend without help. Self-managing gets expensive at the edges: an order nearing its six-month expiry, a section 74 motion that needs a response, a belongings dispute, or an owner out of province who cannot attend, receive possession, or cover the 72-hour retrieval window. Those are judgement calls on a specific file, and a licensed paralegal is the right spend for the legal ones. Management earns its place on the logistics: the filing, the locksmith, the retrieval window, the turnover and the re-leasing, handled locally. Our guide to the N12 notice and the landlord’s own use process covers the other file that most often ends at the Sheriff’s counter.
The Bottom Line
An eviction order in Ontario is enforced by exactly one office, the Court Enforcement Office, and by one method: you file the order, pay $75 to file it and $240 plus mileage to enforce it, and wait for the Sheriff to give you possession. The discipline in this stage is patience inside hard deadlines. File well within the order’s six-month life, expect an arrears tenant to hold a pay-to-void right until the moment of enforcement, keep your hands off the locks and the belongings, and give the tenant their full 72 hours. Possession gets your unit back. Collecting the money is a separate court process, worth running only where there is something to collect from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can enforce an eviction order in Ontario?
Only the Court Enforcement Office of the Superior Court of Justice, the Sheriff. The Board issues the order but does not enforce it, and a landlord cannot remove a tenant or change the locks themselves. You file a copy of the order with the enforcement office where the unit is located, and the Sheriff gives you possession.
How much does it cost to have the Sheriff enforce an eviction order?
The regulated fees are $75 to file the order and $240 per attempt to enforce it, plus mileage for the Sheriff’s travel from the courthouse to the unit. Budget $315 plus mileage, and expect to pay the enforcement fee again if another attempt is needed.
Can a tenant stop an eviction by paying after the order is issued?
In an arrears case, yes. Under section 74 of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, paying the amount specified in the order on or before the enforceable date voids it automatically. After that date but before the Sheriff enforces it, the tenant can bring a motion under subsection 74(11) to set the order aside by paying everything owing. The motion can be made only once in a tenancy, and it stays enforcement until the Board decides.
How long do I have to file an eviction order with the Sheriff?
Six months. Under section 81, an eviction order expires six months after the day it takes effect if it has not been filed with the Court Enforcement Office, and it cannot be renewed or reapplied for on the same issue. The clock pauses while the order is stayed, and once filed the order stays enforceable for one year.
What happens to a tenant’s belongings after a Sheriff eviction?
For 72 hours after enforcement, the landlord cannot sell, keep or dispose of anything left behind, and must make it available for retrieval close to the unit between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. After 72 hours, the landlord may sell, retain or dispose of what remains, under section 41.
How do I collect rent arrears after the tenant has left?
File a certified copy of the Board’s money order with the Small Claims Court, where it is enforced like a court judgment. The tools are garnishment of wages or bank funds, a writ of seizure and sale, and an examination hearing to learn what the debtor earns and owns. If you have no money order yet, a Form L10 application can be filed within one year of the tenant moving out.
Holding an Eviction Order in Ottawa and Not Sure What Happens Next?
RentSetGo Property Management takes eviction files from the order onward: filing with the Court Enforcement Office, tracking the enforceable date and the six-month deadline, coordinating the Sheriff attendance and the locksmith, supervising the 72-hour retrieval window, and turning the unit over for re-leasing.
Send us the order and we will map the enforcement steps for your unit, with the dates and fees in writing.
613-800-2523 · info@rentsetgo.ca
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Managing rentals and eviction files for local, out-of-province and non-resident owners across Ottawa.
Related Reading
- Tenant Not Paying Rent in Ontario: The N4 to LTB Timeline
- N12 Own Use in Ontario: 60 Days, the 120-Day Rule and the L2
- Landlord Legal Compliance for Ottawa Rentals
- Lease Preparation and Enforcement
- Ontario Landlord Rights and Responsibilities
- Full-Service Property Management in Ottawa
- LTB Interpretation Guideline 11: Rent Arrears (Tribunals Ontario)
- How a Landlord Can End a Tenancy (Tribunals Ontario brochure)
This article is general information about enforcing Landlord and Tenant Board orders in Ontario, drawn from the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Landlord and Tenant Board Interpretation Guidelines 10 and 11, and Ontario Regulation 294/92 (Sheriffs, Fees), checked in October 2026. It is not legal advice. Sheriff fees, court fees and enforcement office practice change, and no timeline in this guide is a guarantee for any file. For an eviction or collection file of your own, consult a licensed paralegal or lawyer.