How is a Landlord and Tenant Board eviction order enforced if a tenant won't leave in Ontario?

An eviction order from the Landlord and Tenant Board, made under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, doesn't let a landlord physically remove a tenant themselves; that step generally has to go through the sheriff's office, the same court enforcement authority involved in other kinds of judgment enforcement in Ontario. If a tenant doesn't leave voluntarily once an eviction order takes effect, the landlord generally needs to file the order with the sheriff, who then schedules and carries out the actual physical enforcement of the eviction according to their own process and scheduling.

A landlord who attempts to remove a tenant or their belongings without going through this proper enforcement process, sometimes called "self-help eviction," risks serious legal consequences, since only the sheriff has legal authority to actually carry out a physical eviction. This distinction matters considerably: having a valid eviction order in hand is a necessary step, but it isn't the final one, and landlords sometimes mistakenly believe the order itself gives them authority to act directly. Understanding that enforcement runs through the sheriff, not the landlord, is an important practical point for anyone holding an LTB eviction order that a tenant hasn't complied with.