You’ve followed the legal process, waited months for an LTB hearing, filed your Writ of Possession, and finally scheduled the eviction. What could possibly go wrong now?
A lot!
Welcome to Part 5 of our blog series on Ontario’s eviction enforcement process. Today, we’re looking at the most surprising and challenging scenarios Ontario Sheriffs and landlords face on eviction day. While most evictions go smoothly, some take a turn you won’t believe.
🚪 1. Tenants Refusing to Leave and Locking Themselves Inside
Sheriffs do not break down doors. If the tenant refuses to open the door, the Sheriff must call the local police for assistance — which can cause further delays. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can turn a 20-minute appointment into a multi-hour standoff.
⚠️ 2. Boobytrapped Units
Some landlords have reported extreme behavior — like broken glass glued to doorknobs or even aggressive dogs left loose in the unit. These dangerous setups can slow down the Sheriff, require animal control or police, and put everyone at risk.
🧹 3. Full-On Hoarder Houses
In certain cases, landlords enter the property after the lockout only to find hazardous living conditions — including rotting food, garbage, and unsafe materials. These situations may require professional cleaning or even environmental hazard removal, significantly delaying re-renting the unit.
👥 4. New “Occupants” Claiming Residency
This is one of the more legally tricky surprises: the tenant is gone, but someone else answers the door and claims they live there now — with no lease or LTB order naming them. In many cases, this requires a new legal eviction process to remove the new “occupant,” delaying everything by months.
🐕🦺 5. Last-Minute Claims of Disability or Service Animals
In some evictions, tenants make last-minute claims about disabilities or emotional support animals to delay the process. While some are legitimate, others are not — and the Sheriff must refer the issue back to the LTB if there's any legal uncertainty. This alone can put your eviction on hold.
🧠 What Can Landlords Do?
While you can’t predict every surprise, you can take steps to be better prepared:
Bring a locksmith and one or two witnesses
Document everything with photos and video
Communicate clearly with the Sheriff ahead of time
Be mentally prepared for the unexpected
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