Yukon Renovation and Demolition Notice for Landlords: 4-Month Rules

When Does the 4-Month Notice Apply?

Yukon's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA 2025) provides a 4-month notice for demolition, conversion to non-residential use for at least 12 months, or renovations or repairs needed to meet minimum regulated standards that can only be completed while the rental unit is vacant.

The prescribed form is the 4-Month Notice to End Tenancy (Form YG(7605CS) Rev.07/2025), available from the Residential Tenancies Office. This notice is for a periodic tenancy and must take effect at least four months after the tenant receives it, on the day before rent is due.

Permits Come Before the Notice, Not After

This is where many landlords trip up. Under the RTA 2025, you must hold all necessary municipal building permits, environmental authorisations, and any other approvals required by law before you serve the notice. A notice served in anticipation of securing permits is legally invalid — the RTO will dismiss it outright.

If you are planning a major renovation, apply for your permits through the City of Whitehorse Land and Building Services (or the relevant municipal authority) first. Only once the paperwork is approved should you prepare and serve the 4-month notice.

Mandatory 1-Month Rent Compensation

When a tenancy ends under a 4-month notice for renovations or repairs, change in use, or demolition, the landlord must pay the tenant compensation equal to one full month's rent. This payment is due on or before the effective termination date stated in the notice. The tenant can also choose to apply this amount as a rent credit for their final month of occupancy rather than receiving a separate payment.

If the landlord fails to pay the required compensation, the tenant may apply to the RTO for dispute resolution and seek compensation for resulting loss.

How to Calculate the Notice Period

Count in full rental months, not calendar days. Suppose rent is due on the 1st of each month and you want a September 30 termination date. The tenant must receive your notice on or before May 31 — giving four full rental months (June, July, August, September).

If you are serving by registered mail, add 5 days for the statutory deeming rule. In the example above, you would need to post the notice by May 26 at the latest so deemed receipt falls on or before May 31.

Personal hand delivery is deemed received the same day it is handed to the tenant or an adult member of their household.

What Happens If the Tenant Disputes

The tenant has 14 days from receipt to file a dispute with the RTO (Application for Dispute Resolution, $50 fee). Filing suspends the move-out date until an adjudicator hears the case and issues a decision. The RTO will examine whether you had valid permits at the time of service, whether the renovation genuinely requires vacant possession, and whether the notice was properly served and timed.

If the tenant does not dispute within 14 days, they must vacate by 1:00 PM on the effective date.

Bad Faith Consequences

If you end a tenancy under the renovation ground and then do not carry out the stated work — re-listing the unit at a higher rent, for example — the tenant may seek compensation for resulting loss through the RTO. After the renovations or repairs are complete, you must offer the former tenant the opportunity to enter a new tenancy agreement for the unit.

The renovation ground is not a route to reset rent. Using it to circumvent the territorial rent cap is explicitly prohibited.

Pulling It All Together

The Ending a Tenancy in Yukon guide walks through every ground-to-form pairing with a printable service audit log and date-calculation worksheet. It covers the 4-month renovation process alongside all other termination grounds, so nothing falls through the cracks.

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