Can a Landlord Send a Rent Increase by Email in Nova Scotia?

Yes, But Only with Lease-Based Consent

Email is a lawful service channel for rent increase notices in Nova Scotia, but it comes with conditions. For email service under a new lease, the tenant's service address is recorded in Section 8 and the landlord's service address in Section 9 of the Standard Form of Lease (Form P). For an existing lease, both parties can agree to email service in a signed addendum.

Under legislative amendments effective April 30, 2025, the notice must be sent to the most recently provided tenant service address and from the most recently provided landlord service address. Sending from a different email account, even if the tenant recognises it, does not meet the statutory requirement.

What Does Not Count

Text messages, Facebook messages, WhatsApp, and other messaging apps are not lawful service methods under the Residential Tenancies Act. Neither is a verbal phone call. The statute authorises personal delivery, mailbox or mail slot drop, registered mail or courier, and email — nothing else.

An email sent to an address the tenant uses casually but never provided for service in the lease or a signed addendum is also insufficient. If the tenant challenges the notice at a Residential Tenancies hearing, the landlord must demonstrate that the service addresses were properly provided.

Why This Matters

If you serve a rent increase by email without proper consent, the notice is invalid. An invalid notice creates no obligation for the tenant to pay the higher amount. You would need to withdraw the defective notice in writing and re-serve through a valid method, restarting the entire four-month notice countdown.

Building a Valid Email Record

If you want email to be a usable service channel:

1. For a new lease, record service addresses in Form P, Section 8 (tenant) and Section 9 (landlord)
2. For an existing lease without those sections, get both parties to sign an email-service addendum
3. Send the notice from the landlord's most recently provided service address to the tenant's most recently provided service address
4. Save the sent email with full headers and timestamp as proof of service

For other service methods — personal delivery, mailbox drop, or registered mail — you need a different evidence trail. The Nova Scotia Rent Increase Guide covers every service method with corresponding proof-of-service logging templates.

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