Q: Is it unlawful lockout if a landlord locks us out as we are moving? We are paid up completely. Owe him nothing.
We have made repeated attempts to arrange a time only to be ignored. We have conversations in writing stating that he doesn’t want us to get our stuff.
A: It depends on whether your lease has ended and whether you have vacated the premises. Generally, absent an agreement to the contrary, if you or your landlord have ended your lease, you have until the last day of your lease to remove stuff, and anything left after that date is usually considered to be abandoned. If your landlord locked you out before the last day of your lease and you are paid up through that date, it would be an unlawful lockout and you can go to your local JP and get a writ of reentry.
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