News Release Archive

USINESS/CONSUMER SERVICES--RENT PROTECTION-MOBILE HOME TENANTS 
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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.

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Contact: David MacNeil  902-424-2933

trp                      Apr. 11, 1997 - 10:45 a.m.