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Coverage

Rental deposit

Nova Scotia — residential security deposit (Residential Tenancies Act, RSNS 1989, c 401)

Sub-nationalCA-NSUnverified — check before relying on it

Nova Scotia, Canada

Rule id
deposit.ca-ns
Version
1.0.0
In force from
January 1, 2006
Last read against its sources
August 5, 2026
Countries bound
Canada

In plain language

What this regime says.

Nova Scotia regulates residential security deposits under the Residential Tenancies Act, RSNS 1989, c 401, administered by Residential Tenancies Program, Service Nova Scotia and decided by Residential Tenancies Program (Director), with appeal to the Small Claims Court. We name the route and the body; we are not stating this province’s caps, deadlines or interest rates because we could not verify them in this review cycle.

Who is covered

Tenants of residential premises in Nova Scotia.

What you get

Return of the deposit to the extent the landlord cannot justify keeping it, plus — in the provinces that prohibit damage deposits outright — recovery of a deposit that was never lawfully collectable.

Where claims go wrong

  • Assuming Canadian provinces work alike. They differ more than US states do, and two of them do not permit a damage deposit at all.
  • Not putting the forwarding address in writing, which several provinces treat as the event that starts the landlord’s deadline.
  • Letting the provincial limitation period run while negotiating.
The official claim route

Authority

Every citation,
with its pinpoint.

A claim that cites “EU law” gets filed. A claim that cites Article 7(1)(c) gets answered. These are the exact coordinates this entry rests on.
  1. Residential Tenancies Act, RSNS 1989, c 401Residential Tenancies Act, RSNS 1989, c 401URL verified 2026-08-05

Sources

Where a figure is indexed, converted or published by a regulator rather than fixed in the instrument, the provenance is recorded separately. Anything marked as a modelled estimate is exactly that — a model, not a statutory number.

What it imposes

Clocks, defences and the ladder.

A rule module builds these while it evaluates, because a limitation period depends on which forum is open to you. What follows is the structure this regime produces — deliberately with no dates and no figures, because those belong to your facts rather than to the law.

What it entitles you to, beyond money

  • Determination by Residential Tenancies Program (Director), with appeal to the Small Claims CourtYou are entitled to have the return of your deposit determined by Residential Tenancies Program (Director), with appeal to the Small Claims Court rather than left to the landlord. We are not stating what it will award.
  • An itemised, evidenced accountEvery regime in this product places the burden of justifying a deduction on the landlord. Ask for invoices, quotations and dated photographs, not a round number.

What the other side will say

Each of these is a refusal this regime lets a counterparty attempt, paired with the answer to it. Reading them before you write is worth more than any amount of polish on the letter itself.

"The property needed cleaning and redecorating"

high likelihood

The landlord charges for cleaning, carpet wear, scuffed paint or tired fittings and treats the deposit as a refurbishment fund.

What answers it

Fair wear and tear from ordinary use is not a recoverable loss in any of the regimes this product covers — a deduction must reflect damage or a breach beyond ordinary use, must be evidenced, and must be reduced for the age and remaining life of the item. Ask for the invoice, the check-in and check-out evidence, and the calculation.

"Prove you did not cause it"

high likelihood

The landlord asserts damage and expects the tenant to disprove it, often without a check-in inventory.

What answers it

It is the party seeking to keep the money who must justify keeping it. Where there is no dated check-in record to compare against, an adjudicator has nothing to measure the alleged damage from, and the deduction generally fails on that ground alone.

Where to take it next

  1. Write to the landlord or agentAsk in writing for the deposit back and for an itemised, evidenced account of anything withheld. A dated written request is what every body below will want to see first.Claim direct
  2. Ask for the itemised statement and the move-in and move-out inspection reportsAsk in writing for the figures, the receipts behind them, and copies of both inspection reports. A deduction that is not in the move-out report, or that contradicts the move-in report, will not survive.Internal appeal
  3. Apply to Residential Tenancies Program, Service Nova ScotiaResidential Tenancies Program, Service Nova Scotia administers the deposit and operates the first-line claim or release process.Alternative dispute resolutionofficial page
  4. Apply to Residential Tenancies Program (Director), with appeal to the Small Claims CourtBinding on themResidential Tenancies Program (Director), with appeal to the Small Claims Court can make a binding order about the deposit.Courtofficial page

Documents

What this regime can produce.

Every one of these is a document you send yourself, in your own name. Duesday never writes to anybody on your behalf and is never anyone’s agent.

The same claim type elsewhere

Albania — rental deposit (Kodi Civil (Civil Code), qiraja)ALNational — AlbaniaKodi Civil (Civil Code), qirajaConfidence: lowAustria — rental deposit (Allgemeines Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (ABGB) § 16b, and the Mietrechtsgesetz (MRG))ATNational — AustriaAllgemeines Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (ABGB) § 16b, and the Mietrechtsgesetz (MRG)Confidence: lowBelgium — rental deposit (Regional housing codes: Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet, Décret wallon relatif au bail d’habitation, Code bruxellois du Logement)BENational — BelgiumRegional housing codes: Vlaams Woninghuurdecreet, Décret wallon relatif au bail d’habitation, Code bruxellois du LogementConfidence: lowBosnia and Herzegovina — rental deposit (The law of obligations of the relevant entity (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Republika Srpska) and the applicable housing legislation)BANational — Bosnia & HerzegovinaThe law of obligations of the relevant entity (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina or Republika Srpska) and the applicable housing legislationConfidence: lowBulgaria — rental deposit (Закон за задълженията и договорите (Obligations and Contracts Act), наем)BGNational — BulgariaЗакон за задълженията и договорите (Obligations and Contracts Act), наемConfidence: lowCroatia — rental deposit (Zakon o najmu stanova and the Zakon o obveznim odnosima)HRNational — CroatiaZakon o najmu stanova and the Zakon o obveznim odnosimaConfidence: lowCyprus — rental deposit (Rent Control Law of 1983 (23/1983) for controlled tenancies, and the general law of contract)CYNational — CyprusRent Control Law of 1983 (23/1983) for controlled tenancies, and the general law of contractConfidence: lowCzechia — jistota / kauce (Občanský zákoník § 2254)CZNational — CzechiaObčanský zákoník (89/2012 Sb.), § 2254Confidence: high

Other rights in the same countries

Alberta — unclaimed property (Unclaimed Personal Property and Vested Property Act)CA-ABSub-national — CanadaUnclaimed Personal Property and Vested Property Act, SA 2007, c. U-1.5Confidence: mediumAlberta — residential security deposit (Residential Tenancies Act, SA 2004, c R-17.1)CA-ABSub-national — CanadaResidential Tenancies Act, SA 2004, c R-17.1Confidence: lowBritish Columbia — unclaimed property (Unclaimed Property Act, SBC 1999, c. 48)CA-BCSub-national — CanadaUnclaimed Property Act, SBC 1999, c. 48Confidence: mediumBritish Columbia — residential security deposit (Residential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78)CA-BCSub-national — CanadaResidential Tenancy Act, SBC 2002, c 78Confidence: lowCanada — Canada Post delivery guarantee and claimsCANational — CanadaCanada Post Corporation Act and the Canada Post Terms and ConditionsConfidence: lowCanada — drip pricing under the Competition ActCANational — CanadaCompetition Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34), ss. 52, 74.01 and 36Confidence: mediumCanada — payment card codes of conduct, provincial consumer protection and OBSICANational — CanadaCode of Conduct for the Payment Card Industry in CanadaConfidence: mediumCanada — provincial class proceedings and the Quebec authorisation regimeCANational — CanadaClass Proceedings Act, 1992, S.O. 1992, c. 6 (Ontario)Confidence: medium

Does this one reach your facts?

The engine runs every regime that could apply at once and reconciles them, rather than making you guess which page to read.

Run your factsBack to the catalogue

Not a law firm. Not legal advice. You send it yourself. This page describes a law; it is not advice about your situation and no outcome is promised.