# Can my care home manager force me to move out after my rehab programme finishes?

- Jurisdiction: Canada
- Practice area: Tenancy Law
- Published: 2026-11-01
- Last updated: 2026-11-01
- Canonical: https://lawasked.com/ca/tenancy-law/can-my-care-home-manager-force-me-move

## Question

I have been living in a residential care facility in Ontario for the last six months. When I first moved in on January 1st, I signed an agreement to stay there specifically to undergo a structured physical rehabilitation programme to help with my recovery after a major surgery. My monthly rent is $2,400, which is paid via bank transfer on the first of every month. The agreement I signed stated that my stay would last for exactly six months to match the duration of my therapy sessions. Now that it is almost July and my treatment is finishing, the manager told me yesterday that I have to vacate my room by the end of the month because my time for receiving these services has officially expired. I tried to explain that I would like to stay longer and perhaps pay a different rate to transition into regular housing, but they said the rules for this specific type of unit don't allow it once the rehab period is over. I am very worried about where I will go. Is it actually legal for them to give me a notice to leave just because my therapy period ended, even if I have been a good tenant?

## Summary

It depends on whether your care home follows specific rules for all residents in your situation. If the facility's rules state that no other resident receiving similar rehab services is allowed to stay longer than the agreed period, the manager may be able to legally end your tenancy.

## Analysis

Whether your manager can legally force you to move out depends on the specific rules of your care home. Under Ontario law, a landlord can end a tenancy in a care home if certain conditions are met. 

Specifically, a landlord may terminate your tenancy if "the rental unit was occupied solely for the purpose of receiving rehabilitative or therapeutic services agreed upon by the tenant and the landlord" [1]. This means your stay was intended only for your recovery after surgery. 

Additionally, the manager can only do this if "no other tenant of the care home occupying a rental unit solely for the purpose of receiving rehabilitative or therapeutic services is permitted to live there for longer than the prescribed period" [1]. This means if the facility has a strict policy that all rehab-only residents must leave once their therapy ends, they are applying the rule consistently to everyone. Finally, the termination is valid if "the period of tenancy agreed to has expired" [1]. Since your agreement was for exactly six months starting January 1st, your term expires at the end of June.

If these three conditions are met, the manager's notice to vacate by the end of the month may be legal. However, if the facility allows other rehab patients to transition into regular housing or stay longer, they might not be able to enforce this rule against you. 

It is also important to note that if a landlord wants to evict a tenant because they no longer need care, they must apply to the Board [2]. In your case, the manager is citing the expiration of a specific service-based agreement rather than a change in your care needs. 

State, provincial, or local laws may add further rules regarding tenant rights and housing protections.

## Statutory citations

- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario), S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 144 - Notice of termination [in force] (https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17#BK144)
  > A landlord may, by notice, terminate the tenancy of a tenant in a care home if, (a) the rental unit was occupied solely for the purpose of receiving rehabilitative or therapeutic services... (b) no other tenant... is permitted to live there for longer than the prescribed period; and (c) the period of tenancy agreed to has expired.
- Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 (Ontario), S.O. 2006, c. 17, s. 148 - Application [in force] (https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17#BK148)
  > A landlord may apply to the Board for an order transferring a tenant out of a care home and evicting the tenant if, (a) the tenant no longer requires the level of care provided by the landlord

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