Landlord Notice to End a Tenancy in Nova Scotia

The Residential Tenancies Act says a landlord shall not give a tenant a notice to quit except as the Act allows. That means there is no general notice you can give a periodic tenant for no reason. Each ground follows one of two routes.

• A notice you serve: for unpaid rent (Form D), certain breaches (Form E), a few narrow grounds (Form F) and a sale to a buyer who will move in (Form DR2).
• An application to the Director of Residential Tenancies: for your own use, demolition or major renovation, and grounds such as repeated late rent or serious interference. You need an order before the tenancy ends.

The tenant's notice to leave is a different thing, covered in the Nova Scotia ending tenancy notice guide. For the full path from notice to enforcement, see how to evict a tenant in Nova Scotia.

The Program's forms page lists each form. A foreclosure is a different situation: after a foreclosure or a sale under execution, the tenant may stay on the same terms until the earlier of three months after the new owner gives a notice to quit, or the end of the tenancy.

Unpaid rent. If rent is still unpaid by the third day after it was due, you can give a Form D from the fourth day. The tenant has 10 days after receiving it to pay the arrears, which voids the notice, or to apply to the Director to set it aside. If they do neither, they must leave by the effective date. These timings changed on April 30, 2025.

Breach notices. A breach of Statutory Condition 3 (not interfering with the landlord's or other tenants' possession or occupancy) or Statutory Condition 4 (ordinary cleanliness and not causing damage), or subletting without consent, allows a notice to quit effective no earlier than 15 days after it is given. The tenant may apply to the Director to set it aside, and the Act sets no deadline for that application.

Applications for serious cause. Under the Residential Tenancies Act, you may apply to the Director for an order ending the tenancy when the tenant is repeatedly late paying rent (the Program describes this as three or more late payments), significantly interferes with or unreasonably disturbs you or another occupant, seriously jeopardizes health or safety, puts your property at significant risk, engages in illegal activity with certain harmful effects, or causes extraordinary damage. This goes through a hearing. No immediate same-day notice was found in the Act.

Your own use or a family member's. You cannot end the tenancy by notice alone. The Director must be satisfied that you, in good faith, require the unit as a residence for yourself or a family member, and may then order possession at a time stated in the order, not more than 12 months from the order date. The research found no separate own-use notice form on the Program's forms page.

Demolition or major renovation. You cannot end a tenancy for demolition or repairs except by mutual agreement or by an order of the Director. The renovation must be so extensive that it requires a building permit and vacant possession, and you must show permits and good faith.

• Compensation: rent for the last three months if the building has more than four units, or for the last month if it has four or fewer. The tenant owes no rent for that period if they stay to the end date.
• Tenant leaving early: a tenant can end the tenancy sooner on at least 10 days' notice, and you must pay any remaining compensation by the effective date.
• Another unit: no compensation is owed if you offer other premises the tenant finds acceptable on the same terms and the tenant agrees.
• If you do not comply: the Director can order moving expenses, extra expenses up to one month's rent, and increased rent for up to 12 months.

Sale. If the property has four units or fewer and the buyer or the buyer's family will occupy it, you may give a Form DR2 notice. It must take effect no earlier than two months after the tenant receives it, and the other conditions in the Program's guide must be met. A tenant who receives a DR2 can leave on at least 10 days' notice. When a property is sold, the tenancy and the security deposit carry over to the new landlord unless the sale ground applies.

A periodic tenancy (month-to-month, week-to-week or year-to-year) continues for the same type of term and renews automatically if no notice is given. That is why you cannot end it just by saying you do not want to renew.

A fixed-term lease ends on the date written in it. It does not renew for another fixed term on its own. If the tenant remains with the owner's consent, the lease is treated as renewed on a month-to-month basis, and a new fixed term needs a new signed lease. During the term, you cannot end a fixed-term lease early except on the grounds above, for example unpaid rent or a breach of the statutory conditions.

The effective date of a notice depends on when it is given or received, so keep a dated copy and a record of how and when it reached the tenant. The Program publishes a policy on counting days and determining notice periods on its policies page, which is worth checking before you count.

After you serve a Form D, a tenant can pay, apply to the Director to dispute it, or leave by the effective date (rent is still owed). If they stay after a valid notice, you apply to the Director for vacant possession on Form J, or on Form K for unpaid rent when the tenant did not dispute. Read what to do when a tenant won't leave after notice for the application and enforcement steps.

One caution: a notice given in retaliation for a tenant enforcing their rights can be set aside by the Director or the Small Claims Court. For plain-language answers on timing and reasons, see how much notice a landlord has to give and what happens when a landlord wants to move back in. This guide explains the rules in general terms; for a specific case, ask the tribunal or a licensed legal professional.