LOCAL RULES

Nova Scotia rental inspection report requirements

Your Nova Scotia rental inspection report has 3 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • The 10-day deposit return
  • The security deposit claim filed with the Director within 10 days
  • Written notice of entry 24 hours to 30 days ahead for an inspection during the tenancy
Start free: draft your Nova Scotia report

ReportDraft Landlord from C$12 a month. 14-day free trial with your first report and up to 5 template downloads. Card required, nothing charged today, cancel anytime. Need just one? One rental inspection report for C$25, no subscription.

Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancies Act does not require a move-in or move-out inspection, but its deposit rule is short and strict: return the deposit within ten days of the end of the lease, or file a security deposit claim with the Director within the same ten days. Here is each rule with a link to the Act and the province's guidance, and how walkthrough notes become reports that support a claim.

Last reviewed October 9, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Rental inspectionNOVA SCOTIA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 87 words

Move-in inspection
Address: 22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Halifax, NS
Date: 2026-09-30
Landlord: Pinecrest Property Management
Tenant: Jordan Lee and Priya Raman
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
79%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 13 items into 6 sections and flagged 5 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonLiving and dining areas

    Carpet has a stain near the sofa wall.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Dishwasher not working.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Counter chipped near the sink.

3 Nova Scotia rules on your checklist, including the 10-day deposit return.

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for entry and hallways
  • RecommendedNotes for laundry and utility

Filled in for you

Inspection typeMove-in
Rental unit address22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Halifax, NS
Inspection dateSep 30, 2026
Landlord or property managerPinecrest Property Management
Start free and draft yours

14 days free, nothing to pay today. After your first report, your name, licence and company details fill in by themselves. Or preview your own notes first, no sign-up.

What Nova Scotia requires

Ten days to return or claim

The deposit, with interest, goes back to the tenant within ten days of the date the lease ends. To keep any of it for rent owing or damage the tenant is responsible for, the landlord needs the tenant's written consent, or files a security deposit claim in the Director's form within those same ten days.

The claim is also sent to the tenant, by registered mail, express post or courier to their new address if known, electronically if the lease gives an electronic address, or otherwise to the next of kin's address on the lease. A landlord who misses the ten days cannot apply to keep the deposit and must return it. Since September 2024 the Act counts calendar days, so weekends and holidays are included.

Damage, wear and tear, and cleanliness

A claim against the deposit must not include any cost of ordinary wear and tear. Under the statutory conditions every lease carries, the tenant is responsible for the ordinary cleanliness of the interior and for repairing damage caused by a wilful or negligent act of the tenant or anyone they let in, while the landlord keeps the premises in good repair and fit to live in.

Separating those three things, wear, uncleanliness and damage, is what a move-out report compared with a move-in report does.

Inspections during the tenancy

To enter for an inspection, the landlord gives written notice stating a reasonable purpose and a date and time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., unless the tenant agrees to another time, at least 24 hours and not more than 30 days before the entry.

From walkthrough notes to a finished Nova Scotia report

With only ten days to file a claim, the move-out report should be finished on the day of the walkthrough. Note each room's cleanliness and any damage, and what caused it if you know. ReportDraft writes it up room by room, keeps ordinary wear apart from damage, describes each damaged item so it can be listed on the claim, and leaves lines for the landlord or agent and the tenant to sign.

Use the same rooms and items at move-in, so the two reports line up when the Director looks at the claim.

Common mistakes

  • Holding the deposit past ten days without the tenant's written consent or a filed claim.
  • Counting business days instead of calendar days.
  • Filing the claim with the Director but not sending it to the tenant.
  • Including ordinary wear and tear in the claim.
  • Entering for an inspection with less than 24 hours' written notice, or outside 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. without agreement.

Sources

Last reviewed October 9, 2026. Next review due January 9, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.