Changes coming to Residential Tenancies Act, Service NL minister says
Comments come days after CBC story detailing another landlord left to deal with needles, mess in apartment
Changes are coming to the Residential Tenancies Act to help deal with the conflicts arising between landlords and tenants, Service NL Minister Sherry Gambin-Walsh said Monday.
"The biggest challenge is actually the complex relationship between the tenants and the landlords," she said.
The details of the amendments to the act were not disclosed, but Gambin-Walsh said it would not involve writing a new act entirely.
"We have to have a balance in this act and we have to ensure that whatever amendments we put forward will be in the best interest of both the landlords and the tenants," she said.
Her comments come a few days after yet another CBC story detailing the struggles of a landlord left to deal with a hazardous mess left by tenants.
- Needles, blood, destruction: Landlord on the hook after tenants wreak havoc
- Landlords, tenants calling for protection — but when will it happen?
Gambin-Walsh said the amendments will be made based on a review conducted by the Tories in 2012 — which was shelved — and consultations done by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing as well as the Housing and Homeless Network.
Amendments could be debated as late as the spring sitting of the House of Assembly. But Gambin-Walsh didn't rule out changes happening this fall.
With files from Ryan Cooke and Ariana Kelland