Premier Tim Houston has changed his stance on rent control.
Houston had been unequivocal during his campaign, and as recently in a press conference on Oct. 8, he would not extend rent control past the end of the state of emergency.
However, on Wednesday, Houston announced his government will introduce legislation extending the two per cent residential rent increase cap to December 31, 2023.
Houston said this is a stop gap measure while more affordable housing is built.
“The housing crisis is real and Nova Scotians expect us to act,” said Houston. “We’ll do what needs to be done to make sure Nova Scotians can afford a place to call home. We will not wait.”
They’re also bringing in a slew of amendments to the Residential Tenancy Act to prevent “renovictions.”
The measures include:
— tenants will be given a minimum of three months notice before they can be evicted due to renovations
— mutual agreements to terminate a lease between tenants and landlords must be in writing
— if a tenant does not agree to terminate the tenancy, landlords must make an application under the Province’s residential tenancies program for an eviction order
— landlords must give the tenant between one and three months rent as compensation for the eviction
— landlord violations of the new protections can lead to additional compensation for tenants such as covering moving expenses or paying the difference between the tenant’s new unit and the rent paid for their former unit, for up to one year.
Other tenant protections include:
— rental increase notices can only contain one amount, regardless of whether the tenant decides to renew their tenancy as a month-to-month or yearly lease
— landlords cannot charge different rental rates for different lease terms
— a streamlined security deposit claim process so it is easier for tenants to get back their security deposits
— landlords must provide a 24-hour written notice to enter tenants’ units unless the tenant gives permission or there is an emergency.
Changes around processes for landlords include:
— flexible effective dates for rental increase notices that are no longer tied to an anniversary date; such notices are still limited to once a year
— when a tenant’s dispute of a rental eviction notice is dismissed, an eviction order can be issued.
Meantime, the government is spending $35 million to build 1,100 affordable housing units across the province.
There will be 425 new rent supplements made available immediately and the government plans to build three new student residents at Nova Scotia Community College campuses.
The population in our province is nearing a million people. Vacancy rates in Halifax sit at one percent and rent has gone up by four per cent in the last year.
