How to Serve a Notice on a Tenant in Saskatchewan (and Why Email Alone Isn't Enough)

To serve a notice on a tenant in Saskatchewan who still lives in the unit, hand it to them in person, or post it on the unit's front door and also send it by ordinary mail or email. Email by itself is not an approved method while the tenant is still there (Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, s.82(2)(a)).

Which methods count?

• Tenant still in the unit: hand delivery; or the front door plus regular mail; or the front door plus an email, text or social media message (s.82(2)(a); ORT Rules of Procedure).
• Tenant who has moved out: hand delivery, or an electronic message on its own (s.82(2)(b)).

Registered mail does not appear on either list.

These rules apply to any notice or document the Act requires to be served, unless the Act says otherwise for a particular notice (s.82(2)). That covers the notices to vacate in Notice to Vacate in Saskatchewan and the arrears notice walked through in Immediate Notice to Vacate and Notice of Arrears (Form 7).

What does an emailed notice have to look like?

An electronic notice must be in the same or substantially the same form as the written notice, accessible to the person receiving it, and capable of being kept for later reference (s.82(3)). In practice that means attaching the completed notice itself, such as the PDF from the ORT portal, rather than typing a summary into the body of an email or text. A message that only says "you have to be out by the 30th" is not the notice.

How do you serve a current tenant by posting and mail, step by step?

1. Complete the notice with the full legal names of every tenant and the unit address.
2. Make one copy for each tenant, plus one for your file.
3. Post a copy on the front door of the rental unit, and take a dated photo that shows the unit number.
4. The same day, mail a copy to each tenant at the unit by ordinary mail, or email each tenant a copy at the address they use with you.
5. Work out the deemed date (next section) and count the notice period from it.
6. Fill in a Certificate of Service for each person and keep it with the photo and the mailing record or sent email.

When does the clock start?

Hand delivery takes effect at once. A mailed notice is treated as received on the third business day after mailing, and an emailed one on the next business day, unless the tenant shows otherwise (s.82(4)–(5)). Weekends and holidays are not business days (s.2(a.1)).

Example: mailed Monday, June 1, 2026, it is treated as received Thursday, June 4. Emailed Friday, June 5, it is treated as received Monday, June 8. Count your notice period from those dates.

The deemed date is a presumption, not a guarantee. A tenant who shows that, through no fault of their own, they did not get the notice or got it later can displace it (s.82(4)–(5)). When you post and also mail or email, counting from the later deemed date of the second method avoids an argument about which date applies.

How do you prove it?

Fill in a Certificate of Service for each person. If you used email or text, keep the sent message and your earlier exchanges at that address (Rules of Procedure, Proof of Prior Communication).

The ORT asks for proof of service of any notice when you file an application (saskatchewan.ca, Settling Disputes). Once a hearing is scheduled, the applicant serves the hearing notice and supporting documents on the other side, completes a Certificate of Service (found under "Hearings" in the application), and uploads a copy of the hearing notice that was served. The hearing officer works from that hearing notice and the claims on it, so a defect there can stall the whole application. For what comes next, see How to Evict a Tenant in Saskatchewan for Unpaid Rent.

How do tenants serve a landlord in Saskatchewan?

Service runs the other way too. A tenant may serve the landlord by handing the notice to the landlord, the landlord's agent or the landlord's registered attorney; by ordinary mail to the address for service in the tenancy agreement; or in electronic form (s.82(2)(c)). Every written tenancy agreement must give the landlord's or agent's address for service and phone number (s.19(1)(e)); see Saskatchewan Tenancy Agreements.

A landlord that does not live in Saskatchewan, and has no office in the province where it can be served, must file a power of attorney with the ORT naming a Saskatchewan resident to receive notices and applications before carrying on business (s.83). Service on that attorney is binding.

Serving the ORT itself is different

Documents that must be served on the Director of Residential Tenancies can be left at an ORT office with someone who appears to have authority to accept them, sent in electronic form, or sent by registered mail to the ORT's address (s.82(8)). Registered mail is a valid way to reach the ORT, even though it is not on the list for serving a tenant.

Common service mistakes

• Emailing or texting a current tenant without also posting the notice on the door.
• Sending registered mail to a tenant and nothing else.
• Serving one notice addressed to "the tenants" by hand to only one of them.
• Counting the notice period from the day you mailed it, not the third business day after.
• Treating creation of the notice in the ORT portal as service.

Frequently asked questions

What if I used the wrong method?

A hearing officer may still accept it if it reached the tenant, though the tenant can argue it did not, or arrived later (s.82.1).

Does making the notice in the ORT portal deliver it?

No. Delivery is still your job.

Can I serve a current tenant by text message alone?

No. For a tenant who still lives in the unit, an electronic message only counts together with posting on the front door (s.82(2)(a)(ii)). Once the tenant has moved out, an electronic message on its own is enough (s.82(2)(b)).

How do I serve a tenant who has already moved out?

By handing it to them or sending it in electronic form (s.82(2)(b)); posting on the old unit's door no longer works. A security deposit claim has its own rule: it goes to the forwarding address the tenant gave at the end of the tenancy, by personal service, ordinary mail or electronically, and needs no service at all if the tenant left no forwarding address (s.32(2)).

Can a hearing officer change the service rules for a hearing?

Yes. For hearing notices, a hearing officer may make any order about service that is reasonable and in the interests of justice (s.82(6)).

See Notice to Vacate in Saskatchewan and ORT Hearings in Saskatchewan.