Tenant Responsibilities

There are four areas that deal with the tenant’s Statutory Conditions, these rules do not have to be included in the lease in order to be valid, they apply to all tenancies.

Good Behaviour:

  • Tenants can’t behave in any way that interferes with other tenants’ or the landlord’s use of the building or property.

Ordinary Cleanliness:

  • Tenants must keep the unit reasonably clean – this does not mean your unit has to be spotless or uncluttered.

  • If a tenant or their guest breaks anything the tenant is responsible. See Guests for more information.

Subletting and Reassigning:

  • Tenants can’t sublet or reassign their unit without their landlord’s consent. For more information on subletting, see Subletting & Reassigning.

Locks:

  • Tenants aren’t allowed to change the locks without the landlord’s consent.

    • If a tenant violates the conditions of the lease, including the statutory conditions, the landlord knows this, and they continue to accept rent from the tenant without taking action – the landlord cannot evict a tenant based on that violation. (MacMullin v. D'Addario , 1988 CanLII 9604 NS SC)

    • Ordinary cleanliness means sweeping, vacuuming, mopping floors, and dealing with garbage appropriately. The minimum expectation for cleanliness when a tenant moves out is that the unit is returned to a level where someone else can begin living there. (Tagliapietra v. Cake, 2023 NSSM 33)

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