Standard Form of Lease

A lease is a legally binding contract between a landlord and tenant. Landlords cannot put whatever clauses they want in a lease, and tenants will be held responsible for everything agreed to in the lease, unless it violates the Standard Form of Lease or the RTA.

The Standard Form of Lease was created by Residential Tenancies and sets out the details of the lease according to the RTA. Landlords are not required to use the Standard Form, but nothing contained in a lease can contradict the Standard Form or the RTA. The Standard Form lease is the most common type of lease in Nova Scotia, and you can find a copy online on the Residential Tenancies website.

    • If there is ambiguity in the writing of a lease, the preferred meaning will be the one that works against the person who drafted it. (Fei v Liu, 2017 NSSM 44)

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