'Almost too good to be true': Advocates cheer as Halifax council OKs rental registry

Halifax regional council has passed a bylaw requiring all residential rental properties to be registered with the municipality, a move advocates have been championing for years.

"It's almost too good to be true. I think all of us are a little bit, like, pinching ourselves," said Hannah Wood, Halifax peninsula chair for ACORN.

She and others from the organization that advocates for low-income residents gathered at city hall before the bylaw's final reading Tuesday to show their support.

Landlords will have until April 1, 2024, to register their rental units, and the process will be free of charge.

The bylaw will give the municipality the ability to keep track of rental units, identify repeat offenders of standards violations and perform inspections to prevent properties from becoming derelict.

The new bylaw also requires landlords to have and keep updated a maintenance plan including dates for repairs and updates.

Council also voted to amend another bylaw which governs standards for rental units by adding more specific language and maintenance requirements.

These include ensuring doors have proper locks, drains are kept unblocked, kitchens are free from defective or missing components, windows have screens, and common areas are maintained, among others.

Inspired by real situations

Coun. Waye Mason said almost all of those amendments were inspired by real-life situations, including one in which a landlord purposely blocked drains to flood a building in an effort to get rid of tenants.

"Very few landlords do that, but the ones that do, we need to have every tool we can to make sure that they are penalized significantly if they do something like that," Mason said.

The Income Property Association of Nova Scotia has expressed opposition to the bylaw in the past, but Mason said municipal staff consulted with the association and other stakeholders.

He said if landlordsproperly maintaintheir properties, they will beunaffected by the bylaw.

"The buildings and the apartments that are safe, which is 99.9 per cent of them, will be fine. And the ones that are unsafe should not be being used as housing," he said.

This year's civic budget includes funding for two staff members to get the registry underway.

Fines for violations

Fines for violations of the bylaw range from $150 to $10,000 depending on the type and frequency of the offence.

The registry will not be visible to the public, however major residential standards violations are posted on the municipality's open data site.

Staff will develop a website for both tenants and landlords to better understand their rights and responsibilities under the new bylaw which will contain a template maintenance plan

The bylaw does not apply to mobile home parks or to homes licensed by the province under the Homes for Special Care Act.

Staff will return to council after two years with a report detailinghow the registry is working and possible changes.

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