A landlord or property manager uses a Notice to Enter, or Entry Notice, to inform a tenant that they will be entering the rental suite in the near future.

The notice will include a specific date when the landlord or property manager will be entering the property (typically with a minimum of 24 hours' notice), as well as a specific time range describing how long the landlord or property manager will be in the rental unit.

A Notice to Enter can be used to give notice to a tenant living in any sort of residential lease or rental property, like an apartment, condo, house, or basement suite.

As a landlord or property manager, you should use an Entry Notice any time you are going to enter a tenant's rental unit unless the tenant has already given permission to enter or in the case of an emergency.

The only reasons a landlord should be entering a tenant's apartment are:

• If a tenant needs something repaired in the unit or if the landlord needs to repair some part of the building that is accessed through the tenant's unit
• To inspect the property or the state of an on-going repair in the suite
• For pest control
• To show the property to prospective renters or purchasers once the lease for the unit in question is no longer being renewed

Even though you are the owner of the property, your tenants still have a right to privacy. Every province has mandated landlord-tenant legislation, e.g. the Residential Tenancy Act.

These regulations all have some clause explicitly describing a tenant's right to "quiet enjoyment" of the rental property, which refers to their rights to reasonable privacy and freedom of unreasonable disturbance.

As a landlord, if you infringe upon these rights by entering an apartment unannounced, your tenant could pursue legal action against you.

The only times you, as a landlord or property manager, do not need a Notice to Enter are:

• In a case of emergency: for instance, if you see smoke or water coming out from under the rental unit door and think the property is either on fire or flooding.
• When the tenant grants you permission to enter: for example, if the tenant calls you about repairs and expresses consent for you or a repair person to enter the unit.
• If a tenant abandons the property: for example, if the tenant hasn't paid rent for a few months and you haven't heard from the tenant or can't reach them, you may treat the unit as abandoned and enter.