Does a fixed-term lease renew automatically, and how does a landlord end it at the end of the term?
Short answer
Not as a new fixed term. In NL, unless notice is given (landlord: at least 3 months before the term ends; tenant: 2 months), a tenant who stays on continues on the same terms, ended by month-to-month notice (s.8(3), s.18).
A fixed term does not end by itself just because its end date arrives. To end it at the end of the term, the landlord must give notice not less than 3 months before the end of the term (s.18(2)(c)); the tenant's notice is not less than 2 months before the end of the term (s.18(1)(c)). The Act does not require the landlord to give a reason. The notice is on the official form, signed, given no later than the first day of a rental period, and served under section 35 (s.18(9), s.34). If no notice is given and the tenant stays on after the term, the tenancy continues under the same terms and conditions and can then be ended by month-to-month notice: 3 months before the end of a rental period from the landlord, one month from the tenant (s.8(3)(a)). If notice was given, the tenancy continues until the notice period expires (s.8(3)(b)). Rent cannot be increased during the term (s.16(1)(b)). A landlord and tenant may also agree in writing to end the tenancy on a specific date, and then no notice is needed (s.18(5)).
- Where this comes from
- Section 8(3); Section 18(1)(c), (2)(c), (5), (9), Residential Tenancies Act, 2018 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Last reviewed