Yukon Residential Tenancies Act: What Landlords Need to Know

What the Residential Tenancies Act Changed

The Residential Tenancies Act (RTA 2025, S.Y. 2025, c. 7) replaced the former Residential Landlord and Tenant Act on September 1, 2025. If you still have a printout of the old rules taped to your filing cabinet, it is out of date.

The new Act made Yukon a "for cause" jurisdiction. A landlord cannot end a tenancy before its fixed-term end date simply because they want the unit back. If the agreement requires the tenant to vacate at the end of the term, it ends on that date; otherwise, the tenancy renews month-to-month unless a new agreement is signed. Landlord notices must state an applicable statutory ground, such as unpaid rent, material breach, landlord or purchaser use, or renovation or demolition, and use the approved form.

The Residential Tenancies Office

The Residential Tenancies Office (RTO) is the administrative body under Community Services that handles dispute resolution. If a tenant disputes your notice, the RTO is where the hearing happens. If the tenant stays past the move-out date and does not dispute, the RTO is where you apply for an Order of Possession.

The RTO is at 307 Black Street, 1st Floor, Whitehorse. You can reach them at 867-667-5944 or [email protected]. The fee for a dispute resolution application is $50.

Key Provisions Landlords Should Know

Mandatory grounds. You need a statutory reason to end a tenancy. "I want to sell" is not a ground by itself — but a purchaser who intends in good faith to occupy the unit for at least 12 months can use the three-month purchaser-occupancy notice for a non-mobile-home periodic tenancy.

Five-day payment period for rent. First serve a Notice of Unpaid Rent. If rent remains unpaid five days after the tenant receives it, you may serve a 14-day notice for unpaid rent.

Prescribed forms. A landlord must use the approved RTO form for a notice to end tenancy. Tenants may use an RTO form but are not required to do so.

Service deeming rules. Personal delivery to the tenant counts as same-day. Registered mail or door posting plus regular mail is deemed received five days after mailing. Email requires written consent from both parties and is deemed received the day it is sent.

Deposit limits and return deadline. One security deposit is allowed, capped at one month's rent (one week's rent for a weekly tenancy). A separate pet damage deposit is allowed, capped at half a month's rent (one week's rent for a weekly tenancy). Within 15 days after the later of the tenancy end date and receipt of the tenant's written forwarding address, return the deposit, agree on deductions, or apply to the RTO.

Administrative penalties. The Residential Tenancies Act allows an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, and up to $10,000 for each day or part of a day that a continuing violation persists after the first day.

Proposed December 2026 Amendments

Bill No. 8, which proposes no-cause termination for non-mobile-home periodic tenancies with a six-month notice period and removal of the territorial rent cap, passed third reading on October 27, 2026. The Legislative Assembly's progress table, current as of November 2, showed no Royal Assent, and the bill is not in force. The bill states that it comes into force on December 1, 2026; until then, the for-cause rules apply.

Getting the Process Right

The gap between knowing the law exists and executing a compliant notice is where most landlords run into trouble. Miscalculated dates, the wrong form, or an unauthorized service method can each derail an application at the RTO.

Our Ending a Tenancy in Yukon guide walks through every ground, maps each one to its prescribed form and notice period, and includes service audit worksheets to document delivery. It covers the rules as at November 2026, with the proposed December amendments clearly flagged.

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