Renting out property in Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories has no rent cap. Rent can rise once every 12 months with three months' written notice. Security deposits of up to one month's rent, and pet deposits of up to half a month's rent, must be held in trust and earn interest. Entry and exit inspection reports are required to deduct for damage. The NWT Rental Office resolves disputes, and its orders carry the same force as a Supreme Court order.
Rent increases
- Rent control
- No rent control: no limit on the amount of an increase
- How often
- Not until 12 months after the last increase took effect (or after rent was first charged)
- Written notice
- Written notice at least three months before the increase. The tenant may treat the notice as a termination effective the day before the increase. Subsidized public housing is exempt.
Security deposits
- Maximum
- One month's rent (one week's rent for weekly tenancies). For non-weekly tenancies the tenant may pay 50% at the start and the rest within three months.
- Who holds it
- The landlord, in trust and separate from the landlord's own money, either invested as the Trustee Act allows or in a trust account at a bank in the NWT
- Interest
- Simple interest credited annually at the Bank of Canada's chartered bank rate for non-chequable savings deposits in effect on January 1, up to the date the tenant leaves
- Returning it
- Within 10 days after the tenant vacates or abandons the unit, return the deposit with interest and an itemized statement. If withholding, give written notice and itemized statements within that period; if repair costs are unknown, use an estimate and finalize within 30 days.
- Pet deposits
- Allowed: one pet security deposit of up to half a month's rent (half a week's rent for weekly tenancies). Not allowed for a service animal.
Other essentials in Northwest Territories
- Entry: written notice at least 24 hours before the first entry, stating the purpose and the days and hours. Entry only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. No notice is needed in an emergency, with the tenant's consent at the time, or if the tenant appears to have left.
- Inspection reports: do an entry inspection with the tenant, give them a copy within five days, and keep it for 18 months after they leave. Do the same at exit. Without both reports, you cannot keep money for repairs.
- Written agreements must be signed, and the tenant must receive a signed copy within 60 days. Terms that conflict with the regulation form have no effect.
- Landlord's own use or sale: apply to a Rental Officer; an order can end a periodic tenancy no earlier than 90 days after the application.
- Late rent penalties are limited by regulation (at most $5 plus $1 a day, to a maximum of $65).
How Propvara helps NT landlords
- Track security and pet deposits and the trust account they are held in through tenancies and deposits, with alerts when a deposit has no holder recorded.
- Timestamped photos and history on every repair case back up your entry and exit inspection reports.
- A lender-ready rent roll and an operating statement mapped to CRA T776 lines.
- Province-aware rent increase checks and notices and notice-of-entry scheduling that notifies tenants (coming soon).Coming soon
Northwest Territories landlord questions
Is there rent control in the NWT?
No. There is no cap on the amount, but rent can rise only once every 12 months, with three months' written notice.
Can I charge a pet deposit?
Yes, one pet security deposit of up to half a month's rent, in addition to the security deposit. You cannot charge one for a service animal.
When must the deposit be returned?
Within 10 days after the tenant leaves, with interest and an itemized statement. If you cannot cost repairs in time, give an estimate and finalize within 30 days.
What happens if I skip the move-in inspection?
You lose the right to keep any of the deposit for repairs, even if there is damage.
Official sources
- NWT Rental Office
- NWT Residential Tenancies Act (consolidation)
- NWT Residential Tenancies Regulations (consolidation)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the NWT Rental Office (Rental Officer) or a lawyer before acting.
Related reading
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