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How to Stop Your Landlord From Locking You Out Illegally
Steps you'll need to take
How to Determine an Illegal Lockout
It is illegal for your landlord to threaten to or to actually lock you out of your unit overnight unless your landlord has a court order, called Writ of Possession, to evict you.
If your landlord has locked you out overnight without a court order, you can do two things:
1. ask the court to order your landlord to let you back into your unit, and/or
2. ask the court to order your landlord to pay you money ("damages") to compensate you for your lockout - check the online classroom called, How to Get Money Damages if Your Landlord Locks You Out Illegally.
These are two separate actions that you can file with the court.
This packet contains the forms that you need in order to ask the court to order your landlord to let you back in the unit. The court action that you will file is called a Temporary Restraining Order/ Injunction Against Lockout (called a TRO). If you want to ask the court to order your landlord to pay you money damages because your landlord has already locked you out overnight, you need to file an action in court called a Complaint for Damages. See Legal Aid's brochure called "How to File a Complaint for Damages If you Have Been Locked Out Illegally."