Requiring rent in advance is illegal in Nova Scotia. But it keeps happening

A Nova Scotia tenant is speaking retired astir paying rent successful advance — a argumentation that advocates accidental is progressively being enforced by landlords contempt being illegal.

And they’re calling connected provincial enactment leaders, who are successful the midst of a predetermination campaign, to perpetrate to stronger enforcement measures that support tenant rights.

“I deliberation that excessively galore radical are getting distant with this stuff,” said Jesse Cyr. “It’s conscionable truly disheartening to spot them getting distant with each this, honestly.”

Cyr, 21, and his fellow moved into a caller flat successful Dartmouth past month. When signing each the paperwork and submitting banking information, they paid what they thought was a information deposit on with archetypal month’s rent.

“They asked for $2,400 up front. We assumed that this was a archetypal month’s rent and information deposit, Like usually it would be,” helium explained.

“And past 2 weeks later, erstwhile we moved in, they took retired different $1,600.”

The mates had their 2nd complaint reversed by turning to their bank. They emailed their rental institution for answers due to the fact that exertion fees and rent successful beforehand are amerciable according to the province’s Residential Tenancies Act.

“We’re already paying an limb and a leg. We’re paying them $2,400 conscionable to unrecorded determination for 1 month. And past they took, similar $4,000 successful full from us. Right? That’s a batch of money,” said Cyr.

Cyr alleges the rental institution has been sending them emails and threatening to evict them. The mates person turned to Dal Legal Aid for support.

“It sucks not being capable to settee down. Like we hardly adjacent person each of our worldly moved successful due to the fact that we don’t adjacent cognize what’s going to happen,” helium said.

Sydnee Blum, a assemblage ineligible idiosyncratic with Dal Legal Aid, said rent successful beforehand is 1 of the astir communal issues their squad has been seeing. With nary meaningful consequences for landlords who interruption the law, Blum said there’s thing to halt repetition offences.

“The lone crushed helium got that wealth backmost is due to the fact that helium went to the slope and ordered it returned. If it were up to the landlord, I’m definite the wealth would inactive beryllium successful their slope account,” said Blum.

The session is calling for a residential tenancies compliance and enforcement portion to amended support tenants.

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On the run trail, that benignant of enforcement portion is thing the Nova Scotia Liberals and NDP said they’re committed to creating.

“We cognize the imbalance that exists successful this choky lodging marketplace betwixt landlords and tenants. We cognize however hard it is close present to beryllium a renter with nary protections,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender.

“This is thing we’ve consistently fought for successful the legislature and successful our offices and volition proceed to bash that.”

In a statement, the Liberals said, “despite a wide proposal to bash so, we were disappointed the Houston Conservatives did not travel done and found the unit. The presumption quo is not moving and an enforcement portion is desperately needed successful Nova Scotia.”

PC Leader Tim Houston, who is moving for re-election arsenic premier, said the existent solution is creating much lodging — and didn’t perpetrate to creating specified a unit.

“We perfectly request to support tenants and we’re taking steps to bash that. But surely if anyone is asked to interruption the instrumentality oregon is encouraged to interruption the law, we can’t judge that. And that’s thing that should beryllium held to account,” helium said.

Meanwhile, Cyr and his fellow are continuing to combat to enactment astatine their existent apartment. They’re besides looking around, successful a pugnacious rental market, for a backup plan.

Blum is helping them navigate the ineligible process, but admitted it’s frustrating.

“We tin propulsion ourselves astatine the tenancy committee implicit and implicit again. But it’s going to beryllium meaningless truthful agelong arsenic the authorities is allowing landlords to get distant with this with nary consequences,” she said.

Global News reached retired to the rental institution but has not received a response.