Residential. Absolutely not! There are only three ways for a residential landlord to recover possession of the rental unit: (1) the tenant voluntarily returns possession of the rental unit to the landlord (i.e., at the end of tenancy or for any other reason), (2) by court order (i.e., after the landlord has filed and succeeded in an eviction action against the tenant) or (3) after abandonment of the rental unit (as "abandonment" is defined under the Act) by the tenant. At no time and under no circumstances may the landlord lock the tenant out out of the rental unit while the tenant is still occupying the rental unit (a landlord may change the locks after the court has issued a "Writ of Restitution" and the "Writ of Restitution" has been executed/served upon the tenant by the Sheriff or Constable, but that right is conferred upon the landlord by court order and, technically, the locks are being changed by the Sheriff or Constable).
Commercial. Yes, under certain circumstances, and provided the written lease agreement does not state otherwise, then a commercial landlord may lock a commercial tenant out of the rental unit after a default by the commercial tenant.
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