News Release Archive
USINESS/CONSUMER SERVICES--RENT PROTECTION-MOBILE HOME TENANTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Nova Scotia government introduced legislation today aimed at protecting tenants of mobile home parks from excessive rent increases. "Since rent control was ended in 1993, there have been incidences of substantial rent increases in mobile home parks without a corresponding improvement in service to the tenant. These situations are unacceptable," said Sandy Jolly, minister of Business and Consumer Services, upon introducing the amendment. "This legislation includes a process whereby tenants of mobile home parks can request a review of a notice of rent increase. The landlord will then be called upon to justify the proposed increase." Residential tenancies officers of the department will be authorized to approve or roll back a proposed increase. "This is not a return to rent control or a rent freeze," the minister stressed. "Rent increases will be permitted and there will be no ceiling, but they must be justified. Also, a review is not automatic. It must be requested by the tenant." The legislation will be retroactive to Dec. 20, 1996, when Ms. Jolly announced that action would be taken to prevent unjustifiable rent increases. The amendment proposes that where there is disagreement between landlords and tenants over a proposed increase, either side can request that a residential tenancies officer decide the dispute. If either side is dissatisfied with the decision, it may then be appealed to the Residential Tenancies Board. The legislation further authorizes residential tenancies officers to be the first line of decision-making in any dispute between residential landlords and tenants, including apartment-related disputes. "Tenants in mobile home parks have completely different circumstances from apartment tenants," Ms. Jolly said in explaining why government was moving to protect them. "They often own the building in which they live, but not the land on which it sits." When presented with notice of a rent increase, mobile home park tenants must choose between paying the increase or relocating the home, which can cost up to $5,000. Many tenants in mobile home parks put up with large rent increases because the alternative is even more expensive. Ms. Jolly said regulations will establish the criteria to be applied for determining a justifiable rent increase. Criteria will include past rent increases, changes in operating costs, repairs and other factors. There are about 10,000 mobile home owners renting space in parks across Nova Scotia. The majority of them are in the Halifax Regional Municipality. -30- Contact: David MacNeil 902-424-2933 trp Apr. 11, 1997 - 10:45 a.m.