Eviction Notice in Newfoundland and Labrador: Forms, Timelines, and Common Mistakes

NL Doesn't Call Them "Eviction Notices"

The Residential Tenancies Act, 2018 uses the term "Notice of Termination," not "Eviction Notice." The distinction matters because adjudicators evaluate notices against statutory requirements — and landlords who use informal language or imported Ontario/US terminology on their forms risk having the notice dismissed.

Two prescribed forms cover the standard and cause-based termination grounds:

• Form RT-2018-00039 — Landlord's Notice to Terminate (Standard). Used for no-cause terminations under Section 18.
• Form RT-2018-00040 — Landlord's Notice to Terminate Early (Cause). Used for rent arrears (s. 19), material breach (s. 20), uninhabitable conditions (s. 21), damage/cleanliness (s. 22), and interference with peaceful enjoyment (s. 24).

Both forms are available from the Residential Tenancies Office at gov.nl.ca/gs/landlord-tenant/.

The Five Mandatory Elements

Section 34 and the applicable termination section require every notice to contain:

1. The tenant's full legal name and civic address including postal code
2. The property address
3. The specific statutory section under which notice is given
4. The move-out date
5. The landlord's signature

Tribunal decisions have found notices invalid where required address information or notice-period requirements were missing. The prescribed forms include postal-code fields, and all required fields should be completed.

Timelines at a Glance

For standard Section 18 notices, the termination date must align with the last day of a full rental period. Rent due on the 1st means the notice expires on the last day of a month — never mid-month. The notice must also be given no later than the first day of a rental period. Section 28's six-month period applies when at least 50% of a complex with more than 9 residential premises (or a mobile home park with more than 5 premises) must be vacated for demolition, a change of use, or extensive repairs or renovations requiring vacant possession, with the required permit or authority.

The Mistakes That Get Notices Thrown Out

Wrong form. Using a standard notice (RT-2018-00039) when you're terminating for cause, or vice versa.

No preliminary breach notice. Section 20 for material breach requires a two-step process: first, a written notice identifying the breach and giving reasonable time to fix it. Only if the tenant fails to comply can you serve the termination notice. In Tribunal Application 2025-0235-NL, the adjudicator found the notice invalid because the landlord did not identify a reasonable time to remedy the breach before issuing the termination notice.

Miscounted notice period. NL uses "clear days" counting — the day of service and the move-out day are both excluded. A 10-day rent arrears notice served on the 5th means the earliest valid move-out date is the 16th, not the 15th.

Improper service. Section 35 permits placing a notice in the tenant's mailbox or under a door, or posting it in a conspicuous place; these methods do not require a Substituted Service order. Registered mail adds five days of deemed delivery time that landlords frequently forget to account for.

After the Notice Expires

If the tenant doesn't leave, the notice alone changes nothing. You must file an Application for Dispute Resolution (Form RT-2018-00053, $20 fee) with the Residential Tenancies Office and prove your case at a hearing. Self-help measures — lock changes, utility shutoffs, removing the tenant's belongings — are summary offences.

The Ending a Tenancy in Newfoundland and Labrador guide matches each situation to the correct form and statutory section, with date-counting worksheets that build in the clear-days rule and deemed service delays automatically.

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