Landlord Selling House: Tenant Notice Requirements in Newfoundland and Labrador

NL Has No Short-Notice Ground for Property Sales

Landlords in provinces like Ontario and British Columbia can issue special short-notice terminations when selling a property or undertaking major renovations. Newfoundland and Labrador does not have these grounds.

Under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2018, a sale does not create a separate termination ground, so a landlord seeking vacant possession of an individual unit uses the standard Section 18 process. Section 28 provides a separate route 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 to non-residential use, or extensive repairs or renovations; the landlord must have the required permit or authority and give six months' notice. There is no shorter notice window or special buyer-occupation provision.

The Standard Section 18 Process for Property Sales

Month-to-month tenancy: Serve Form RT-2018-00039 (Landlord's Notice to Terminate — Standard) with at least three months' notice. The notice must be given no later than the first day of a rental period, and the move-out date must fall on the last day of a full rental period. If rent is due on the 1st and you miss October 1, give notice by November 1 for an earliest valid termination date of January 31.

Fixed-term tenancy: The same three months' notice applies, but it must be given before the term's end date. You cannot break a fixed-term lease early for a property sale. If the fixed term runs until June 30 and rent is due on the 1st, you must give the notice by April 1 at the latest. If you miss that window, the tenancy converts to month-to-month and the three-month clock starts fresh.

Week-to-week tenancy: Four weeks' notice using the same form.

What About the Buyer?

When a rental property changes hands, the buyer inherits the existing tenancy under Section 9(4). Covenants concerning residential premises run with the land. The new owner steps into the previous landlord's obligations — the rental agreement, the security deposit, and any pending notices or tribunal applications.

A notice served by the seller before closing remains valid. The buyer can rely on it, provided they maintain evidence of continuity. But if no notice was served before the sale, the new owner must start the Section 18 process themselves, from scratch, as the landlord of record.

Mutual Agreement as an Alternative

Section 18(5) allows a landlord and tenant to terminate by mutual written agreement at any time. If your buyer needs vacant possession sooner than the three-month notice period allows, you can negotiate directly with the tenant — often with a cash-for-keys arrangement. But the agreement must be voluntary. Pressuring a tenant to sign or misrepresenting their rights is exactly the kind of conduct the Residential Tenancies Tribunal scrutinizes.

Demolition and Renovation

For an individual unit, the standard Section 18 notice applies. A qualifying group termination under Section 28 requires six months' notice and the permits or authority for the demolition, change of use, or extensive repairs or renovations. If the required notice period does not fit your timeline, the alternative is a mutual written agreement.

The Ending a Tenancy in Newfoundland and Labrador guide covers the property sale scenario in detail, including the date-calculation worksheet that accounts for rental period alignment and deemed service delays.

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