$10K fines proposed for N.S. landlords who make units unlivable as eviction tactic

Halifax councillors want to crack down on landlords who purposely make rental units unlivable as a ploy to pressure tenants to move out of their homes. 

Rosanna Chilton, a renter in Halifax, said the door to her basement apartment on Joseph Howe Drive was removed on Dec. 1 for 24 hours.

"My roommate was there when he removed the door and ran away with it," she said. "He wanted to bully us out of here."

Chilton had to miss work and make a number of calls before the door was put back. She is looking for another place to live, but has not been able to find one that she can afford.

Councillors are hearing from other tenants with similar stories.

"I just had another note from a young woman who had her doors and windows taken off," said Coun. Pam Lovelace. "Landlords should know that Halifax will not put up with this."

This summer, one landlord told CBC he'd removed pieces of an apartment unit in the Halifax community of Fairview after losing patience with a couple he said were behind on their rent, fought with their neighbours and caused damage to the building.

Doors, windows and a kitchen faucet were removed. A lawyer for the couple accused the landlord of "strong-arming" tactics and filed a complaint with the municipality.

Councillor calls for $10K fines

The province handles landlord-tenant disputes, such as overdue rent, through the tenancy board. The municipality is responsible for health and safety standards of rental buildings.

"If the tenancy board has problems, that's an issue for landlords to take to the province," said Coun. Waye Mason. "But in the interim, they can't do these things that put people's lives at risk."

Mason said there should be a $10,000 fine per day, per incident, and the municipality should have the ability to send in a contractor to immediately replace a door or window.

HRM officials are already working on a new rental bylaw that will have occupancy standards and a rental registry. Mason is calling for new fines for health and safety violations to be included in the bylaw, which is expected to be ready by April.

"I think our bylaw officers need the biggest stick possible," he said. "You cannot make a unit dangerous because you have a tenant dispute."