When you get your house back on eviction day, have a locksmith on site with you to change the locks. This could very well determine if you are able to gain vacant possession of your house. 

A LOT goes into preparing for eviction day. Read my Getting Ready for Eviction Day Template. You may realize you’ve missed some important preparations you have to make. Watch 10 mini-videos where I narrate key moments of my own eviction day experience.

Today, I will talk about why it is so important to ensure you have a good and reliable locksmith on-site on eviction day. Watch below and read on. 

‍When the Sheriff came to evict my tenants, I hired a professional locksmith. The Sheriff needed access to the inside of my house to give me vacant possession. They are not locksmiths themselves. Tenants may have changed the locks. If you don’t have a locksmith with you on eviction day, you might not get your house back.
Having been underprepared before, there is no such thing as being overprepared to get your house back.
-Weiting Bollu, Co-Founder, Openroom

‍

The Sheriff needed access to the inside of my house to give me vacant possession. 

What do I mean by this?

The sheriff ensures a few things upon arrival at your property. They:

• Confirm the tenants have vacated the property.
• Ensure the locks are changed (I had a locksmith on-site ready to assist).
• Deliver possession of the vacant property to the landlord

Why I needed a locksmith on eviction day, and you do too

If you don’t have a locksmith with you on eviction day, you might not get your house back.

-Weiting Bollu, Co-Founder, Openroom

Too much is left to chance without a locksmith on eviction day. Your goal is to get your house back. 

There are three main reasons why you need a locksmith. Firstly, the Sheriff needs access to your property and your tenants may have changed the locks. Secondly, you will need the locks changed in front of the Sheriff before getting vacant possession. Third, you are opening yourself up to possible robbery or property damage. 

Sheriff needs access to the property, tenants may have changed locks

Only a sheriff, not the landlord, can enforce an eviction in Ontario. The sheriff's office executes the order from the LTB, ensuring that the tenants vacate the premises. Once the sheriff completes the eviction, the property officially returns to the landlord.

You have your set of keys but they might not work. The tenants could have changed all the locks of your property. Or added new ones on top of existing ones. 

In my case, the tenants locked me out of my house with a deadbolt on the front door. I thought we were never going to get in. Luckily, the side door was open (phew!). We got in, the locksmith changed the lock, and the Sheriff granted me vacant possession of my house. 

If the Sheriff cannot get into the property, they cannot scan the house to determine that it is vacant. If your tenants are still in there, the Sheriff cannot enter to evict your tenants. 

If you do not have a locksmith on site to change the locks, you will not get vacant possession of your house and the process has been further delayed.

I mean, yes, you could break a window to get in. However, the last thing you want is to incur costs by breaking a window and hurting yourself just to get in. It’s not a great feeling when you have to break and enter into YOUR OWN PROPERTY.

Sheriff oversees lock change

The Sheriff is not a locksmith. They cannot physically change the locks for you. This is also not something you want to do on your own. A professional and experienced locksmith is the key to success in this situation.

Tenants may still have access to the house 

Maybe your tenants have evicted the property and returned the keys. Or they left the house unlocked. You don’t know how many copies of your keys are out there and who has it. 

If you do not have 24 hour surveillance on the property, they may return and cause damage to your house. 

You nip all this in the bud by changing the locks. 

Choosing the Right Locksmith

Choosing the right locksmith is important. Do your due diligence. Narrow down your list to about 3-5 locksmiths in your area. Call them to ask questions. I wrote out my list of questions in the Getting Ready for Eviction Day Template. I’ll list them here too!

Questions to ask your locksmith

It’s important to have a professional who knows what they are doing. There are cases where some locksmiths don’t take on eviction day jobs. Here are some questions I asked:

1. Do you have experience with Tenant evictions?
2. If you do, can you walk me through what that would look like?some text
   1. What do you do first?
3. Are you the one doing it for me or one of your colleagues?
4. Are there any instances you wouldn’t be able to open the door? If so, what happens afterwards?
5. If my eviction time is 9:00 AM EST, what time do you show up? 
6. How do I make the payment to you? 
7. Do you accept credit?
8. How much do you charge?
9. Do you provide a receipt after you complete the job?
10. Do you have a GST/HST number?

Top tips for eviction day

On the day itself, there will be a lot going on. If you’ve prepared well, you’ve already hired a locksmith with experience and expertise in dealing with eviction days. 

Once you’ve made all your preparations, the only left to do is execute. Here are some key things to remember. 

Ensure locksmith is punctual 

Call the locksmith the day before to ensure they are there on time. Call them on the day of eviction to touch base on time of arrival. They should be there just before the sheriff arrives. 

Change all locks

Have a list of all the locks that need to be changed. You’d be surprised with how easily you might miss an entry point in the rush of everything.

Garage access

Finally, don’t forget the garage! Change the keycode or fob, whichever applies. Tenants can possibly enter through the garage. 

Concluding Thoughts

Eviction day is a critical moment, and having a reliable locksmith on-site can make all the difference in regaining possession of your property smoothly. Without a locksmith, you risk being locked out, unable to grant the Sheriff access, or even allowing former tenants to re-enter your property. Proper preparation, including hiring the right locksmith, ensures the eviction process goes as planned, minimizing delays and potential damage. Remember, there is no such thins as being overprepared when it comes to protecting your property.

To learn more about the process leading up to my eviction, read The Landlords Guide: When Tenants Are Not Paying Rent in Ontario and A Landlord's Guide to the LTB's N4 - Notice to End a Tenancy Early for Non-payment of Rent. 

If your tenants have been evicted but they still owe you rent, read Debt Recovery: How to enforce an LTB order in Small Claims Court and the Landlord’s Guide to Skip Tracing and Examination Hearing in Ontario.