What should I do if I receive a 14-day eviction notice?*
As soon as you get the eviction notice, give us a call.
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Call the ECLC at 780-702-1725 or drop in at 10056-101A Ave, Edmonton to pick up a Notice of Objection and instructions on how to fill it out.
The Notice of Objection must be served on or before the final day of eviction. • You can give the completed notice to your landlord or resident manager in person with a witness present or you can send it by registered mail with a signature upon delivery. If the landlord is not in his office, you can tape the notice to the door or slip it under the door but make sure you have a witness when you do this. If you are being evicted because you have not paid your rent, work hard to come up with the money and pay it right away.
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Wait for the court papers to be delivered to you. • If you receive court papers, call the ECLC immediately. We will ask you to tell us what the papers say, so have them ready with you and be ready to set up a time for an appointment
Prepare for court.
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Preparing for court will take you about one full business day. You will need to come down to the ECLC for an appointment, which you will have made when you called us. (See section: “Wait for court papers….” above).
14-day Eviction Notice www.eclc.ca
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You will have to write out an affidavit (a sworn statement) at the ECLC. We have the forms here and will help you if you need assistance. Please bring the following things with you to the appointment: any receipts or payment stubs which show that your rent has been paid, your lease, your move-in inspection, any letters or notices from your landlord, and one piece of picture I.D. (driver license, passport etc). If you do not have picture I.D., please bring two pieces of I.D. (health care, social insurance, etc.).
File your documents in court. • You will need to go to the court house and file your documents there. The court house is located at 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square (approximately 97th Street and 103rd Avenue). If you take the LRT, get off at Churchill Station. To file your documents, go to the Information Booth and ask them where to go. We will give you 4 copies of your legal documents to file. You will need to take all 4 copies to the court house to be filed. The clerk will file all 4 copies by stamping them with an official stamp. You should keep the copy with your original documents attached to it in case you need them in the future.
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Attend the hearing. • You should arrive at least 15 minutes before the time your case is set to be heard. The information desk will tell you where your court room is. Always check there in case your room changes at the last minute. You should call the judge “Your Honour”. Please do not interrupt anyone when they are speaking. Do not worry if you forget to say something as you will be given more than one chance to speak. Have a pen and paper on hand to write down key words for the things you forget to say. That way, you will be ready when you are given another chance to speak. You should dress neatly. The court documents which you prepared with the ECLC staff and filed at the court house will have all your arguments in them. Stick to those arguments. You should keep your answers short and to the point so that the judge does not get frustrated. The affidavit you filed contains the evidence that you have given to the judge. These are the important legal points that the judge needs to hear.
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14-day Eviction Notice www.eclc.ca
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Talk slowly. If you get nervous, pause. You can tell the judge that you need to take a minute to think about what to say. Do not bring up things that do not help your case if they have not already been mentioned by someone else.
Update ECLC on what happened. • After the hearing is finished, give ECLC a call and let us know what happened. We may be able to explain things further or help you decide what to do next. We will also be able to keep track of your legal matter for you and will have the information on record in case you need it again.
* This tip sheet gives general information about the law and is not a substitute for legal advice.
14-day Eviction Notice www.eclc.ca