A Halifax tenant named Sarah Mosher is facing eviction due to her fixed-term lease not being renewed by her landlord, BGI Properties. Mosher and her wife have been living in the unit for over five years, but the landlord decided not to renew their lease, citing the need to make tough decisions that align with their long-term goals and objectives. Mosher believes the decision was made to raise the rent more than the allowable five percent increase with a new tenant. Despite the competitive rental market in Halifax, Mosher managed to find a new place to live but had to deal with the challenge of finding a sublet to cover the remaining period of their current lease.
The issue of fixed-term leases being used as a loophole to bypass rent control regulations has been a topic of concern. Critics argue that landlords are utilizing fixed-term leases to evict tenants and raise rents beyond the legal limit. Legal worker, Mark Culligan, has called for an overhaul of the system, suggesting that fixed-term tenancies should include a right to renew for tenants to prevent exploitation by landlords. He also proposed tying rent control to units instead of tenants, known as “vacancy control,” to prevent landlords from increasing rent between tenancies.
The response from the Minister of Service Nova Scotia, Colton LeBlanc, is that using fixed-term leases for business strategy purposes is not an appropriate use and that the focus should be on increasing housing supply to address low vacancy rates. However, he has rejected the idea of tying rent control to units, stating a need for landlords to remain part of the solution. Landlords argue that fixed-term leases are necessary to protect them against problematic tenants, but instances like Mosher’s case reveal that they are being increasingly used to circumvent rent control regulations for profit maximization.
Mosher expressed her frustration with the lack of power tenants have in fixed-term lease situations, as landlords hold all the power. She highlighted the difficulty tenants face in enforcing their rights under the current system and the imbalance of power in the tight rental market in Nova Scotia. Despite the stress and uncertainty caused by the non-renewal of her lease, Mosher is left with no other option but to comply with the decision and find a sublet to cover the remaining period of her current lease. Calls for reforms and changes to the system have been made to protect tenants and prevent exploitation by landlords using fixed-term leases for profit gains.
