Notice to Vacate from Landlord 

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Landlord must give proper notice

A landlord can end a tenancy only for the reasons allowed by the Act.

In most cases, the first step is for the landlord to give he tenant a notice in writing that they want the tenant to move out.

The proper forms a landlord must use for giving a notice to end the tenancy are available from the Board. There are different notices for different reasons.

Landlords must use the correct notice form and fill it out completely and accurately to ensure that the tenant receives all the information that the Act requires. If the landlord does not give the tenant all the information required by the Act, the notice may be void. And, if the landlord files an application to evict the tenant based on an incomplete or incorrect notice, the application may be dismissed.

Reasons for ending a tenancy

The Act allows a landlord to give a tenant notice to end the tenancy early if the tenant, the tenant’s guest or someone else who lives in the rental unit does something they should not do, or does not do something they should. This is sometimes called ending a tenancy “for cause”.

Some examples of “for cause” reasons for ending a tenancy are:

- not paying the rent in full,
- causing damage to the rental property,
- disturbing other tenants or the landlord, and
- illegal activity in the rental unit or residential complex.

There are also other reasons for ending a tenancy that are not related to what the tenant has done, or not done. These are sometimes called “no fault” reasons for ending a tenancy.

Some examples of “no fault” reasons for ending a tenancy are:

- the landlord plans to do major repairs or renovations that require a building permit and the work cannot be done unless the rental unit is empty,
- the landlord requires the rental unit because the Landlord, a member of the landlord’s immediate family or their caregiver wish to move into the unit, and
- the landlord has agreed to sell the property and the purchaser requires all or part of the property because the purchaser, a member of the purchaser’s immediate family or their caregiver wish to move into the unit. (This reason for eviction only applies in rental buildings with three or fewer units and in condominiums.)

A complete list of the Reasons a Landlord can Apply to Evict a Tenant is provided at the end of this brochure.

When the landlord must give notice

Where a notice to end a tenancy must be given, the landlord must give the notice to the tenant before the termination date (the day the tenancy will end). The amount of advance notice depends on the reason for ending the tenancy.