Eviction Moratorium Ending

Tenants who haven’t been able to pay their rent due to the COVID - 19 pandemic and have been unable to work out payment arrangements with landlords or those who just have decided to not pay rent may soon find themselves facing eviction proceedings.

The province has announced effective August 4th the moratorium on taking eviction applications from landlords regarding unpaid rent is ending.

On August 4th landlords will be able to make application to the Office of Residential Tenancies (commonly referred to as the Rentalsman) to take possession of residential rental properties with outstanding rent balances.

The provincial government introduced a moratorium on residential evictions for non-payment of rent in the wake of job losses with the closure of the economy because of the provincial state of emergency declared surrounding the COVID - 19 pandemic.

Residential tenants have not had to pay rent during the moratorium and could not be evicted for doing so. When issuing the moratorium the Province encouraged tenants to, if possible, work out payment arrangements with their landlords.

“When the pandemic began, we wanted to ensure tenants facing hardship were able to take the necessary social distancing measures…with the success of flattening the curve in Saskatchewan, we believe it’s appropriate to lift the moratorium on non-urgent evictions,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan said in a statement.

There are no hard numbers presented as to the number of tenants who could be facing eviction nor any plans laid out by the Province to assist landlords or tenants due to non-payment of rent.