Yukon Security Deposit, Rent Bidding, and Rent-in-Advance Rules for Landlords

Security Deposit Limits Under the RTA

Yukon's Residential Tenancies Act caps security deposits at one month's rent for non-weekly tenancies and one week's rent for weekly tenancies. A landlord may require one security deposit only when entering into the tenancy agreement, regardless of the property's condition or the tenant's credit history.

The deposit must be held in a separate account. Within 15 days after the later of the tenancy ending and the landlord receiving the tenant's forwarding address in writing, the landlord must either repay the deposit with interest or apply for dispute resolution claiming against it. The landlord may retain an amount if the tenant agrees in writing at the end of the tenancy or if the director later orders retention.

One detail that catches landlords off guard: if you raise the rent lawfully, you cannot demand a top-up deposit to match the new rent amount. The deposit stays at whatever was collected at the start of the tenancy.

The Ban on Rent Bidding

Under guidelines updated in October 2026, landlords in Yukon cannot invite prospective tenants to bid above the advertised rent. This means you cannot list a unit at a base price and then accept the highest offer. Section 136(3) of the Residential Tenancies Act separately makes it an offence to provide, access, or use algorithmic computer technology for the purpose of evaluating or setting a rental amount.

The rule applies to every residential tenancy covered by the RTA. The Act prohibits anyone from providing, accessing, or using algorithmic technology to evaluate or set rental amounts. If you are re-renting a vacant unit, you can set the initial rent at whatever the market supports (there is no vacancy decontrol issue in Yukon since the cap only applies to in-tenancy increases), but you cannot run an auction process to get there.

Rent in Advance: What You Can and Cannot Collect

Yukon law prohibits a landlord from demanding, receiving, or collecting money to pay rent that becomes due in the future. When entering the tenancy agreement, a landlord may require one security deposit within the limits above and, if the tenant has a pet, one pet damage deposit of up to half a month's rent for non-weekly tenancies or one week's rent for weekly tenancies. A pet deposit may also be required when a tenant gets a pet during the tenancy.

This matters when you are onboarding a new tenant at a higher rent after a vacancy. Even if the incoming tenant offers to pay several months upfront to secure the unit, the Act prohibits collecting money to pay rent that becomes due in the future.

How These Rules Interact with Rent Increases

Security deposits, rent bidding, and advance-rent rules sit alongside the rent increase framework. When you serve a lawful rent increase notice — using the prescribed form and staying within the 2.6% cap, or, if the proposed changes pass and take effect on December 1, 2026, following the uncapped rules with six months' notice — you are adjusting the ongoing rent only. You are not entitled to collect additional deposits or advance payments tied to the increase.

If you are navigating a rent increase for the first time or approaching the proposed December 2026 transition, if the changes pass, the Yukon Rent Increase Compliance Toolkit walks through every step from calculation to service to dispute defence, with the exact forms and deadlines dated to the current rules.

Key Takeaways

• Deposit cap: one week's rent for weekly tenancies, one month's rent for other tenancies; no top-ups after a rent increase
• Rent bidding: banned — no auctions; using algorithmic technology to evaluate or set rental amounts is an offence
• Rent in advance: rent for future periods cannot be collected; deposit limits are separate
• Enforcement: the Residential Tenancies Office handles disputes and its adjudicator can issue a final and binding written decision and order

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