How to End a Tenancy in Yukon

Yukon Is a "For Cause" Jurisdiction

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 2025, you cannot end a tenancy in Yukon without a lawful reason prescribed by statute. A fixed-term tenancy ends on its specified date if the agreement requires the tenant to vacate. If it does not require the tenant to vacate and no new agreement is signed, the tenancy converts to a monthly periodic tenancy.

The process is the same regardless of whether you own one unit or several: identify your ground, pick the correct prescribed form, calculate the notice period, serve the notice through an authorized method, and document everything.

Step 1: Identify Your Ground

The RTA 2025 divides termination grounds into three main categories:

For cause (14-day notice). Examples include unpaid rent (after the tenant receives a Notice of Unpaid Rent and the five-day payment period expires), material breach of the lease, serious property damage, or illegal activity. You must use the prescribed 14-Day Notice to End Tenancy with Cause.

Landlord or purchaser use (three months). For a non-mobile-home periodic tenancy, a landlord or close family member, or a purchaser or close family member, must intend in good faith to occupy the rental unit for at least 12 months. Use the applicable prescribed three-month notice form. A purchaser notice also requires an agreement of purchase and sale and the purchaser's written request for the landlord to give notice as part of that agreement.

Renovation or repair, change of use, or demolition (four months). For a non-mobile-home periodic tenancy, use the form for the applicable ground. The unit must be vacant for renovations or repairs needed to meet minimum standards; change of use must be to a non-residential use for at least 12 months. You must have all necessary permits and approvals before serving the notice and provide one month's rent as compensation by the effective date.

Step 2: Use the Correct Prescribed Form

Every ground has a specific RTO form. Using an old form, a modified version, or an informal letter is a common reason applications get dismissed. The forms are free from yukon.ca.

Step 3: Calculate the Notice Period

The critical distinction: a 14-day notice must be effective no earlier than 14 days after deemed receipt. Three-month and four-month notices must be received before the rent-due date that starts the count and must provide the required number of months before the tenancy ends.

If you serve a three-month notice for personal occupation in a monthly tenancy where rent is due on the 1st, and the tenant receives the notice on May 15, the earliest compliant move-out date is August 31. Yukon has a statutory savings provision that corrects a too-early date to the next lawful date, but fundamental errors (missing signature, wrong form, no permit) cannot be saved.

Step 4: Serve the Notice Properly

Authorized methods under the RTA 2025:

• Personal delivery to the tenant — deemed received the same day
• Registered mail — deemed received five days after mailing
• Door posting plus regular mail — deemed received five days after mailing
• Email — only if the landlord and tenant consent in writing and the email address is specified in the tenancy agreement; deemed received the day it is sent
• Substituted service — only when ordered by the RTO Director

Sliding a notice under the door, texting, or emailing without consent are not valid service.

Step 5: Document Everything

Keep a copy of the notice, proof of service (Canada Post tracking receipt, a signed delivery acknowledgement, or a timestamped photo of the door posting), and a record of all correspondence. If the tenant disputes the notice, you will need this at the RTO hearing.

If the Tenant Stays Past the Move-Out Date

A notice is not an eviction order. If the tenant does not vacate by 1:00 PM on the effective date and has not filed a dispute, you must apply to the RTO for an Order of Possession using Form YG(6908CS). The $50 filing fee is non-refundable once paid. If the tenant still refuses to leave after the RTO grants the order, you file it with the Supreme Court of Yukon and obtain a writ of execution for possession; the Sheriff's Office enforces the writ. You cannot use self-help measures to lock out the tenant, remove belongings, or cut off utilities while the tenant remains in possession.

The Complete Workflow

Our Ending a Tenancy in Yukon guide covers every ground with its corresponding form and timeline, includes a printable service audit worksheet for documenting delivery, and walks through the RTO application process step by step — rules as at November 2026.

See more Yukon guides →