Is a standard lease required in Nova Scotia?
Yes. Form P, the Standard Form of Lease, is the only lease format recognized under Nova Scotia law for residential tenancies. It sets out the parties, the unit, the rent, and the statutory rights and responsibilities in a consistent format, and it cannot be replaced with a private contract that strips those protections out.
Deposits in Nova Scotia
A landlord may ask for a security deposit of up to half of one month's rent, and it must be held in trust. At the end of the tenancy the landlord has ten days to return the deposit with any applicable interest, unless there is a valid deduction for unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear, in which case the landlord uses the security deposit claim process.
What the lease cannot do
The Residential Tenancies Act sets the baseline for every tenancy, and a term in the lease that takes away a right under the Act has no effect. Form P is built around that baseline, which is why using it, rather than an improvised agreement, is what keeps a Nova Scotia tenancy on solid ground.
Once a lease is signed, keeping it, the rent record, and the key dates in one place is what turns a later question into a lookup. See how Habyn handles lease management and rent tracking.