How long can a fixed-term lease be?
Short answer
In Newfoundland and Labrador a fixed term must be at least 6 months. A rental of more than a week but under 6 months is treated as month to month, and one of more than 12 months as a 12-month fixed term (s.8).
The Act allows three kinds of rental agreement: week to week, month to month, or a fixed term of not less than 6 months (s.8(1)). A rental for a period of less than one week is considered week to week; for more than one week and less than 6 months, month to month; and for more than 12 months, a fixed term of 12 months (s.8(2)). So a 3-month lease is treated as a month-to-month tenancy, and a 2-year lease as a 12-month fixed term, each with the notice rules that go with it. Rent under a fixed term is payable in equal monthly instalments (s.13). Residential Tenancies Policy 02-008 states the same range: a fixed term of not less than 6 months and not more than 12 months.
- Where this comes from
- Section 8(1)–(2); Section 13, Residential Tenancies Act, 2018 (Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Last reviewed