Rent Increase After a Lease Expires in Saskatchewan

You Can't Just Send a Rent Increase Notice

When a fixed-term lease is approaching its end date in Saskatchewan, you might be tempted to generate the standard Notice of Rent Increase from the ORT portal and serve it with 12 months' lead time. That doesn't work. The periodic rent increase form applies to month-to-month (or week-to-week) tenancies only. Fixed-term leases have their own expiry workflow — and a completely different form.

The Two Month Notice of Intention Form

To propose new terms (including higher rent) at the end of a fixed-term lease, Saskatchewan law requires the Term Lease – Two Month Notice of Intention Form, available through the ORT portal at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/ort.

Here's the timeline:

At least two full months before the lease end date, serve the form on your tenant. The form states whether you're offering a new fixed-term agreement, a periodic tenancy, or whether you don't intend to renew. If you're offering renewal with a rent increase, the form specifies the proposed new rent, term length, and conditions.

The tenant must respond in writing within one month after the landlord's notice is served. A failure to respond is deemed rejection of the offer. Three outcomes are possible:

1. Tenant accepts: The new rent takes effect on the date specified in the offer — typically the day after the current lease ends.
2. Tenant declines: The tenant vacates by the lease end date.
3. No response: The offer is deemed rejected, and the tenant must vacate at the end of the fixed term.

If the parties want to continue the tenancy on different terms, the tenant must accept the offer in writing. If they instead enter a new periodic tenancy, later increases follow the standard periodic process.

Why the Two-Month Form Exists

Saskatchewan law distinguishes sharply between periodic and fixed-term tenancies. During a fixed term, rent is locked unless the original written agreement explicitly sets out the exact dollar amount or percentage of any mid-term increase and its exact effective date. At expiry, the landlord's only mechanism for changing terms is the Notice of Intention form.

This form isn't technically a rent increase notice; it's an offer to enter a new arrangement. The tenant has one month after the notice is served to accept the offer in writing.

After a New Periodic Tenancy Begins

If the landlord and tenant enter a new periodic tenancy after a fixed-term lease, the standard Section 54 rules apply. The dual-clock system applies:

• Notice lead time: 12 months (6 for prescribed association members)
• Tenancy duration wait: The original tenancy commencement date counts — if your tenant has been there for two years on a fixed-term lease, the 18-month floor is already cleared
• Frequency: No increase within the last 12 months (6 for members)

If the tenant does not accept the new terms in writing, the tenant must vacate at the end of the term. If both parties enter a new periodic tenancy, later rent increases follow Section 54.

Planning Ahead

If your lease ends in 12 months, start preparing now. Serve the Two Month Notice of Intention Form at least two months before expiry. If the tenant declines or does not respond, the tenant must vacate at the lease end date. If both parties want to continue under periodic terms, they must enter a new tenancy agreement; later rent increases then follow the periodic tenancy rules.

For landlords who plan to renew with the same tenant at higher rent, the tenant must accept the written offer within one month after it is served. An accepted offer avoids waiting for the notice period required for a later periodic rent increase.

For a complete walkthrough covering both fixed-term and periodic increase processes — including form selection, timing calculations, and service requirements — see the Saskatchewan Rent Increase Guide.

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