New Brunswick requires a Standard Form of Lease
Before you create anything, know that New Brunswick is not a blank-page province. Section 9 of the Residential Tenancies Act says the landlord must have both parties sign two duplicate originals of the Standard Form of Lease provided by the Chief Residential Tenancies Officer, and each side keeps one. Taking something out of that form is void. You may add terms, but only if they do not change any right or duty in the Act and only if they are written on both signed copies.
If no form is signed, the Act treats the parties as if they had signed it, so the statutory terms apply anyway. That is why this page describes the document it creates as a supplement and worksheet: it records the details you negotiate (rent, utilities, pets, parking, house rules) in plain language, and it should be signed alongside the official form, not instead of it. Contact the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office at 1-888-762-8600 or see the Government of New Brunswick renters page for the current form.
How to make a New Brunswick rental agreement online
- Landlord and tenants. Enter every adult who will sign. Each named tenant shares responsibility for the tenancy.
- The rental unit. Give the full address and type of home, whether in Moncton, Fredericton, Saint John, Dieppe, Miramichi or a rural community.
- Length of tenancy. Choose fixed term, month-to-month or year-to-year.
- Rent and deposit. Set the rent, due date and payment method. Keep any deposit within the legal limit explained below.
- Utilities, house rules and extras. Record what is included, pets, smoking, parking and any extra terms.
- Review and download. Watch the live preview fill in, then save the PDF or print it.
Everything runs in your browser. We do not store your names, addresses or rent figures, and your progress is autosaved only on your own device so you can come back to it.
Security deposits in New Brunswick
For most tenancies the security deposit cannot be more than one month's rent. For a week-to-week tenancy the cap is one week's rent, and mobile home sites follow a different limit. A person who receives a deposit on a landlord's behalf must deliver it to a residential tenancies officer within 15 days, so the money is held by the province instead of sitting in a landlord's account. A landlord who wants to claim against the deposit after the tenancy ends must act within the time the Act sets, so keep your move-in notes and photos.
Rent increases: the six-month rule and the 3% limit
According to the Government of New Brunswick, a landlord may increase rent only once every 12 months, never in the first 12 months, and must give six months' written notice in a separate signed document that names the tenant, the unit, the old and new rent and the effective date. Increases are limited to 3% in a 12-month period, and a landlord can apply for approval of a higher increase, up to 9%, for justified renovation costs. A tenant can accept the increase, end the tenancy, or ask the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office to review the notice within 60 days of receiving it. Rules can change, so confirm the current figures on the government site before you rely on them.
Entry, repairs and ending a tenancy
A landlord generally may not enter a rented home during a tenancy. The Act allows entry at any time in an emergency or if the tenant has abandoned the unit, with 24 hours' notice to show the unit to buyers or lenders or to inspect it, and with seven days' notice for normal repairs or redecorating. If a tenant asks for repairs in writing, the landlord may enter without notice to do them within two working days.
To end a tenancy, notice must be in writing, dated and signed. A year-to-year tenancy needs at least three months' notice, a month-to-month tenancy needs one month, and a week-to-week tenancy needs one week. Tenants who fear for their safety because of domestic or intimate partner violence have a special route to end a tenancy on one month's notice.
Who should use this template
It suits small landlords renting a basement suite in Fredericton, a student renting a room near the Université de Moncton, or a family leasing a house in Saint John who want everything agreed in writing. It is not a substitute for legal advice. If your tenancy is unusual, such as a mobile home site, a shared-ownership arrangement or a dispute already underway, speak to a lawyer or the Tenant and Landlord Relations Office.