What to do if a tenant doesn't pay rent?

The landlord can serve the province's written notice to end the tenancy for unpaid rent. In most provinces the tenant can cancel it by paying everything owed within a set time, from 5 days in British Columbia to 10 days in Nova Scotia and PEI. If the tenant neither pays nor leaves, the landlord applies to the tenancy office for an order of possession, and a sheriff or bailiff enforces it. Late fees may also apply where the province allows them; see can a landlord charge late fees.

Serve your province's unpaid rent notice (see the table above) and keep proof of service. If the tenant does not pay in time or leave, apply to your tenancy office for an order of possession, and have the sheriff or court bailiff enforce it. The steps for every kind of eviction are on how to evict a tenant.

Almost never. British Columbia and PEI say rent must be paid even if the landlord is breaking the Act, and tenants with repair problems have to apply to the tenancy office instead. The narrow exceptions mostly involve the lease itself: in Alberta a tenant can withhold rent until the landlord serves a copy of the signed lease, and in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador the duty to pay is suspended if the landlord never gave the tenant a copy of the agreement. See can I withhold rent from my landlord for the full list.

Act early and keep everything in writing. Send a reminder, agree on a written payment plan if that works for both of you, and record every payment. If the rent is still unpaid, serve the formal notice on time rather than waiting, because the clock for your application starts with it. Keep the tenancy office's process in mind from the start: a correct notice and good records are what the hearing will look at.

The notice period alone ranges from immediate in Saskatchewan (once rent is 15 days overdue) to 7 days for Ontario's N4, 10 days in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador, 14 clear days in Alberta, 15 days in New Brunswick and 20 days in PEI. If the tenant pays in time, most notices are cancelled. If the tenant stays without paying, add the time for the landlord's application, a hearing and then enforcement by the sheriff or bailiff, which depends on each office's schedule.

Once the notice date has passed, apply to your province's tenancy office for an order of possession; in Alberta, apply to the RTDRS or the court. You can usually claim the unpaid rent through the same office. Do not change the locks, cut the tenant off or remove their things. Only a sheriff or court bailiff with an order can remove a tenant.

In some provinces, yes. In Saskatchewan, unpaid utilities can be treated as unpaid rent after the landlord makes a written demand and 15 days pass, and in PEI unpaid utilities can also be treated as unpaid rent. In British Columbia, if the tenancy agreement makes you pay utilities and they stay unpaid 30 days after a written demand, the landlord can treat them as unpaid rent and serve a 10 day notice. In other provinces, ask your tenancy office how unpaid utility charges are handled under your lease, and claim the amount through an application if needed.

Legally, not at all: rent is due on the day the lease sets, and Alberta and PEI have no grace period. What varies is how soon the landlord can serve a notice: the day after rent is due in PEI, once rent is late by even one day in British Columbia, 3 days late in Manitoba, from the 4th day in Nova Scotia, 5 days overdue in Newfoundland and Labrador and 15 days unpaid in Saskatchewan. A tenant who falls behind should talk to the landlord right away and pay as soon as possible.

If the increase followed the province's rules on notice and timing, the new amount is the rent, and paying only the old amount leaves a shortfall. In British Columbia a landlord can serve an unpaid rent notice when rent is short by any amount. If the increase did not follow the rules, the tenant does not have to pay it, and in British Columbia a tenant can deduct an illegal increase from rent. Check the rules on how much a landlord can increase rent.

A part payment does not always stop a notice, and the rule depends on the province. In British Columbia a landlord can serve a 10 Day Notice even when the tenant is short by any amount. In Manitoba, accepting a part payment does not cancel the notice unless the landlord says in writing that the tenant may stay, while accepting the full late amount does cancel it unless the landlord confirms in writing that the tenancy is treated as ended. In Ontario the notice is void if all the arrears plus the new rent are paid before the landlord files. Saskatchewan, Ontario and PEI say that accepting arrears after a notice does not by itself cancel the notice or create a new tenancy unless the landlord and tenant agree otherwise. For the other provinces covered here we found no rule on part payments, so ask the provincial tenancy office before you accept one. SQRFT advice: if you agree to take less or to wait, write the arrangement down and give a receipt for every payment.

Do not wait, because the arrears keep growing and the earliest day you can serve an unpaid-rent notice differs by province: the day after rent is due in Prince Edward Island, even one day late in British Columbia, after 3 days in Manitoba, on or after the fourth day after rent was due in Nova Scotia, 5 days overdue in Newfoundland and Labrador and 15 days in Saskatchewan. In Saskatchewan the landlord may claim outstanding rent or utility arrears at the possession hearing, so ask for the full amount owing. In Nova Scotia the Form K route skips the hearing but works only if the tenant did not dispute the notice. In Ontario, for an L1 application filed on or after September 21, 2026, the tenant must pay half of the arrears to the landlord at least seven days before the hearing in order to raise other issues. SQRFT advice: keep a running record of what is owed, every payment received and every notice served.

Treat it as unpaid rent unless the tenant has a lawful reason: Prince Edward Island's Rental Office says an eviction notice can be served, and Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board says a tenant could be evicted for withholding rent without approval. Check the reason first, because the Acts allow a tenant to hold back rent in a few cases tied to a missing copy of the lease (in Alberta until the signed lease is served, in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador while the duty to pay is suspended, and in Ontario up to one month's rent if the standard lease is not provided within 21 days of a written demand), and a Nova Scotia tenant who was not given a signed lease and a copy of the Act may apply to pay rent in trust. Repair complaints go to the tenancy office, which in several provinces can redirect rent into trust or reduce it. SQRFT advice: fix real problems quickly and keep dated records of every request and reply.