Residential Tenancies  
Guides 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Terminating your 
 
 
 
 
 
Tenancy:  
 
 
 
 
 
A Guide for Tenants 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Residential Tenancies Program                                                                                                 www.novascotia.ca/rta
Updated September 2015 1-800-670-4357 
 
This document is intended as an information guide only. For specific  
information, refer to the Residential Tenancies Act and relevant regulations at  
www.novascotia.ca/rta. You may also wish to seek legal advice for your specific  
circumstance.  
 
 
When you are ready to leave your rented housing, you must give your landlord
 
notice in writing, using the correct form. You must also serve your landlord with the  
notice. This means you or someone else must give it to the landlord, property  
manager/superintendent in person, or send it by registered mail.  
 
There are two ways to end a tenancy:  
1. At the end of a lease period   
2. Early termination   
 
 
At the End of a Lease Period  
 
You do not need a reason to end a lease at the end of a term. You must give your  
landlord your Notice to Quit, using the Tenant’s Notice to Quit Form C, before the  
due date of the rent in the appropriate month. The notice is effective the last day of  
the rental period. The Tenant’s Notice to Quit Form C can be found on our website  
under the Forms section.  
 
Example – if the rent is due on the 1st of the month, the Notice to Quit has to be  
 
given no later than the last day of the month. If the rent is due on the 10th of the
 
month, the Notice to Quit has to be given no later than the 9th of the month.
 
 
The type of tenancy will indicate how much notice you must give:  
 
Year-to-Year Lease – you must give at least 3 full months’ notice before the  
anniversary date.  
 
Month-to-Month Lease – you must give at least 1 full months’ notice before the  
end of any month.  
 
 
Week-to-Week Lease – you must give at least 1 full weeks’ notice before the end
 
of any week.
 
 
If you leave without proper notice, you are still responsible for your lease until your  
landlord can re-rent the unit. The landlord must make attempts to re-rent the unit.  
 
 
 

Residential Tenancies Program  www.novascotia.ca/rta
Updated September 2015 1-800-670-4357 
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  Early Termination
 
 
In certain circumstances, you may leave before the end of your lease. You may need
 
  to provide extra documents to do so.
 
   If your income is reduced as a result of a decline in your health and you are
  not able to pay the rent, you must have your doctor complete a medical
  form. You must provide 1 months’ written notice to your landlord by
  providing a copy of the completed medical form and Notice to Quit Forms G
  and H (which can be found on our website under the Forms section).
  o If there are any co-tenants, you must serve them with a copy of Form
  G. You must also provide your landlord with an Acknowledgement of
 
Service or an Affidavit of Service (contained within Form G).
 
 
   If your health has deteriorated such that you cannot live in the unit or the
  unit is inaccessible to you, you must have your doctor complete a medical
  form. You must provide 1 months’ written notice to your landlord by
  providing a copy of the completed medical form and a Notice to Quit Forms
  G and H (which can be found on our website under the Forms section).
  o If there are any co-tenants, you must serve them with a copy of Form
  G. You must also provide your landlord with an Acknowledgement of
  Service or an Affidavit of Service (contained within Form G).
 
 
 If you have been accepted into a nursing home, you must provide 1 months’
 
written notice to your landlord by providing a Notice to Quit Forms G and H
 
  (which can be found on our website under the Forms section) and a letter
  confirming the acceptance into the home.
  o If there are any co-tenants, you must serve them with a copy of Form
  G. You must also provide your landlord with an Acknowledgement of
  Service or an Affidavit of Service (contained within Form G).
 
   If you are a personal representative who wishes to give notice because a
  tenant has died, you must provide 1 months’ written notice to the landlord by
  providing a Notice to Quit Form I (which can be found on our website under
 
the Forms section). A death certificate may be requested by the landlord.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Residential Tenancies Program  www.novascotia.ca/rta
Updated September 2015 1-800-670-4357 
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Subletting  
 
 
If you have a new job, a work transfer, or need to leave early for any other reason,
 
you may sublet your lease. These reasons do not provide you with the ability to  
terminate your tenancy early. Subletting may be a potential solution. To do this, you  
must get permission from your landlord. Landlords cannot unreasonably deny you  
the right to sublet, but the landlord may screen the new tenant and there may be a  
fee to sublet. The new tenant must follow the same rules that you did and pay the  
rent required for the rest of the lease. Usually, you pay your rent to the landlord and  
then collect rent from the new tenant. If you sublet, you remain responsible to the  
landlord for the terms of the lease and the condition of the unit. Sometimes a  
landlord will agree to accept the new tenant as their own tenant and release you  
 
from your lease.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Residential Tenancies Program  www.novascotia.ca/rta
Updated September 2015 1-800-670-4357 
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