It is illegal for a tenant to change the locks of his rented property under any circumstances. The landlord should immediately serve a warning notice on the tenant stating that the action taken by the tenant is illegal and insisting that keys be released to the landlord for the new locks and notifying the tenant that if he fails to cooperate and remedy the breach within a specified reasonable time period, generally 14 days, that the landlord will be entitled to terminate the tenancy.If the tenant fails to comply within the specified time, the landlord will be entitled to terminate the tenancy by serving 28 day Notice of Termination.

If the tenant remains uncooperative, the landlord’s only option is to refer the dispute to the PRTB. Although the tenant has acted illegally, it continues to remain illegal for the landlord to forcefully enter the property.