Amendments Will Provide Better Protection for Tenants, Landlords

The province is taking steps to better protect people who rent or lease lots for their homes in Nova Scotia and those who own the property.

Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations Minister John MacDonell introduced amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act, today, Nov. 23.

"We all want a safe home for ourselves and our families," said Mr. MacDonell. "These changes are the result of extensive consultation. They will help make life better for Nova Scotians by making the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords clear. Our amendments balance their obligations to one another so everyone benefits."

The amendments clarify the sales process and upgrade criteria for manufactured homes, such as minihomes, to help ensure a fair and timely process for buyers, sellers and landlords. Landlords renting lots to homeowners, will have to respond within 10 days when tenants put forward a prospective buyer.

Landlords will be able to request that sellers upgrade their homes, based on municipal by-laws or community guidelines requirements attached to the sellers lease.

Additional changes include:

• updating references to mobile homes and mobile home parks and changing them to manufactured homes and land-lease communities
• providing a transition to introduce a new rental increase process for land-lease communities that was passed last fall to help simplify the process
• providing clarification for the new rental arrears process that was passed last fall