BIG NEWS - we did it!!
On Wednesday November 25th the government bowed to public and NDP caucus pressure and brought in temporary rent control, for so long as there is a state of emergency in Nova Scotia (or until February 2022). Rents can no longer increase by more than 2% per year, retroactive to September 1, 2020. Landlords are also no longer - again for the length of the state of emergency- able to renovict tenants, that is evict people in order to renovate and increase rents.
If you had your rent increased by more than 2% since September 1, 2020, your landlord will have to credit you the amount above the 2% on your next rental payment. If you don’t live there anymore but paid the higher rent in September, October or November then your landlord will have to reimburse you the overpayment amount. If you are not reimbursed, you should make an application to the Residential Tenancies Board.
This temporary rent control does not apply to new leases that started between September 1 and November 30, 2020. Rental units that are currently vacant due to renovations can have rents set at market value for new tenancies; the 2% cap will apply for any future rental increases. Click here for the Minister of Housing’s directive regarding rent control and renovictions and here for the province’s frequently asked questions regarding these changes.
So many people in Dartmouth North (and beyond!) have contributed to this victory: signing and circulating rent control petitions, organizing their neighbors with Nova Scotia ACORN, organizing & attending rallies, speaking in the media and more. Housing support workers across HRM have been balancing massive caseloads with advocating for their clients publicly. As NSNDP Leader Gary Burrill has said: "The Liberal government has argued against our calls for rent control and has contradicted tenants and denied the reality of their experience. Tenants have won this debate today." Read the NSNDP’s full press release on rent control here.
The problem of rising rents, and lack of rent control, is one of the biggest issues I heard when I ran for office in 2017. So much so, that the first piece of legislation I introduced was a private member’s bill to enact rent control in Nova Scotia. Rent control legislation has since been re-introduced by my colleague Lisa Roberts, who is the NSNDP’s Spokesperson for Housing. Up until recently the current government was opposed to rent control, as illustrated in this article. If they hadn’t prorogued the house, the Liberal government could have implemented permanent rent control during the fall sitting of the legislature, by passing the NSNDP’s bill. Even without a fall sitting they could have implemented permanent rent control by an order of Executive Council, which is how the Liberal government of the day did away with rent control in the 1990s.
My NS NDP caucus colleagues and I have been proud to stand with you in the fight for rent control and will continue to pressure the Liberals to bring in full, permanent rent control and a ban on all evictions during the state of emergency.