Landlord and tenant responsibilities during a tenancy

Paying rent

• Tenants must pay rent in full on the day it is due (except if the landlord and tenant agree otherwise in writing or the tenant has an order from the Residential Tenancies Office).
• If a tenant is late paying rent or has only paid a portion of the rent, the landlord may serve the tenant with a 14-day notice to end tenancy.
• The first time the tenant is late paying rent, the tenant can void a 14-day notice to end tenancy by paying the outstanding rent within five days of receiving it.  
• If the tenant is late paying rent more than once, they cannot void a 14-day notice to end tenancy by paying the outstanding rent.

View the paying the rent information sheet.

View the when a tenant doesn’t pay all the rent on time information sheet.

Rent increases

• Effective May 15, 2021, residential rent increases in Yukon are indexed to the annual inflation rate. 
• We use the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to determine this rate.
• This rent index means a landlord may not increase rent to more than the CPI between May 15 of one year and May 14 of the next. For example, after May 15 , 2024 landlords may not impose a rent increase that is more than 4.9 per cent, the inflation rate for 2023  
• The landlord may only increase the rent once a year and not during the 1st year of the tenancy. The landlord must give the tenant 3 months’ notice of the increase.
• The landlord and tenant cannot enter into multiple agreements to avoid rules about rental increases 
• This rent index means a landlord may not increase rent to more than the CPI between May 15 of one year and May 14 of the next. For example, from May 15 , 2024 through May 14, 2025, landlords may not impose a rent increase that is more than 4.9 per cent, the inflation rate for 2023. 

View the rent increases fact sheet.

Rent increases fact sheetPaying utilities

• If the landlord and tenant agree in the tenancy agreement, the tenant must pay the utilities when they are due.
• If the tenant does not pay the utilities in full, the landlord may serve a written demand on the tenant.
• If the tenant is 15 days late paying the utilities or does not pay them in full after receiving the demand, the landlord may serve the tenant with a 14-day notice to end tenancy.
• The tenant can void the 14-day notice to end tenancy by paying all outstanding utilities within five days of receiving it.
• The tenant may apply for dispute resolution within five days of receiving the 14-day notice to end tenancy. The notice is put on hold until the Residential Tenancies Office can hearing the dispute and make a decision.
• If the tenant does not pay the outstanding utilities and does not dispute the 14-day notice to end tenancy, the tenant must move out by the date stated in the notice.

Quiet enjoyment

• Tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of their rental unit.
• Quiet enjoyment means that the tenant must:
  • have reasonable privacy;
  • not be unreasonably disturbed; and
  • have exclusive possession of the rental unit.

View the quiet enjoyment information sheet.

Minimum rental standards

• The landlord is responsible for maintaining minimum rental standards throughout the tenancy.
• The tenant must inform the landlord of any concerns about the rental unit. The tenant must not do anything that might create a health, fire, or safety hazard.

View the minimum rental standards information sheet.

Access and locks

• Neither landlord nor tenant may restrict or alter access to the rental unit. Neither landlord nor tenant may change the locks to the rental unit without written permission.
• The landlord may enter the rental unit after serving the tenant with proper notice or with the tenant’s permission.

View the access information sheet

View the locks information sheet.

Subletting or assigning a tenancy

• A tenant may sublet or assign a tenancy with the written agreement of the landlord.
• A landlord may not unreasonably refuse a tenant’s request to sublet or assign a tenancy.
• The landlord also may not charge a fee for considering or processing the tenant’s request. 

View the subletting or assigning a tenancy information sheet.

Other rights and responsibilities

View the other rights and responsibilities information sheet to learn more about:

• Ending or restricting a non-essential service or facility;
• Prohibited fees;
• Permitted fees;
• Additional personal joining the household; and
• Overcrowding.

Forms

View all the forms for landlords and tenants.