Follow the law, enforce the law, for both tenants and rental housing providers
HALIFAX – Anybody who provides or lives in rental housing has a responsibility to follow the law, said Kevin Russell, Executive Director of Rental Housing Providers-Nova Scotia (RHPNS).
Media reports and housing activists last week alleged a rental housing provider in Halifax was engaging in illegal activities. The company involved was not a member of RHPNS.
“Our organization has publicly stated numerous times and will state again, we condemn any proven illegal activity undertaken by either a rental housing provider or a tenant,” noted Russell. “Anybody in rental housing, either the provider or tenant, should follow the law. If they don’t follow the law, there should be consequences for law-breaking.”
Russell noted that outside of unproven claims, there is no independent evidence of widespread illegal activities undertaken by rental housing providers. Of the approximately, 5,000 cases handled by Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies Program, half relate to tenants not paying rent. This has been a consistent number before, during and after the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Although the Nova Scotia government rejected creating a compliance for enforcement unit, Russell hopes that as an alternative, government will consider increasing staff for residential tenancies so that complaints for law-breaking are dealt with in a timelier way.
“A better functioning and enforced residential tenancies system would be welcomed news for both rental housing providers and tenants,” said Russell.
Questions?
Kevin Russell | Executive Director
O: 902.425.3572 | C: 902.789.0946 | E: kevin@rhpns.ca
211 Horseshoe Lake Drive, Suite 112, Halifax, NS, B3S 0B9
www.rhpns.ca | CFAA Association of the Year
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