Latest news with #ResidentialTenancies
CBC
10-07-2025
- CBC
Family of Sask. landlord shot after contentious eviction says system failed him
A Prince Albert, Sask., landlord is recovering in hospital after a shooting his family believes stemmed from a contentious eviction. Jim Primeau was shot in the back yard of his rental property on June 4, the day an evicted tenant cleared her belongings from the property. The 57-year-old survived the shooting and is recovering, but suffered a spinal cord injury and had to be placed in a medically induced coma for four days. "This changed all of our lives: Jimmy's drastically, but also ours, his four sisters, who will now be his caregivers for life," Primeau's sister, Peggy Epp said. "We love our brother and we're gonna do everything we can to help him recover." Epp is calling for changes to the province's eviction process after what she describes as a legal but unsafe eviction. "He followed the law, did what he was told, and the end result is he's shot in the throat," Epp said. Prince Albert police have not confirmed a connection between the eviction and Primeau being shot. According to Epp, a woman approached Primeau in March looking to live in one of his suites, but said she could not afford to pay the full rent. Primeau accepted half a month's rent and let her move in, Epp said. "He was a good guy just trying to help this woman." Epp said the situation spiralled, with the tenant refusing to pay the rent for the next three months. She said her brother followed the legal eviction process, getting a court order from the Office of Residential Tenancies. The notice was served to the tenant and she was allowed to come on June 4 to collect her belongings. No arrests made "Jim phoned and said, 'She just threatened my life,'" Epp said. Epp said a man showed up at the home shortly after that and shot Primeau. "Jim said, 'I didn't get to say anything. He pointed that gun at me and shot me,'" Epp said. A police news release says officers responded to a report of a shooting and found a man with gunshot wounds. "The suspect and the victim are believed to be known to each other," the release said. Police said in a separate statement that they'd been called to the property earlier in the day about a disturbance. No arrests have been made in the case. 'Whole system needs an overhaul' Epp said the process failed her brother and could fail others, too. "The whole system needs an overhaul," she said. Landon Field, CEO of Rental Housing Saskatchewan, said stories like Primeau's are becoming increasingly common. "I hear stories anecdotally from people working on the front lines who face threats of violent harassment — whether that's a knife being pulled on you or threats sent to you by text," Field said. "Violence is never acceptable. Whether you're a renter, property manager, landlord — nobody should face that when doing their job." Field said Primeau did everything right. "It's very frustrating to read a story like this, because they did follow the legal process and it still resulted in tragedy." Field said the system can be slow and costly, especially for small landlords. He said his organization is looking at possible changes, including reducing the 15-day nonpayment period. "We are currently reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act and will be putting forward a couple of proposed amendments in the next couple of weeks," he said. Field's organization is also pushing for more education for landlords and more accountability. "A well-educated and professional landlord leads to professional and successful tenancies," he said. "That benefits renters right across the province." ' We're compassionate people ' Epp said she is hoping to meet with other landlords in Prince Albert in the coming weeks to help advocate for change. Despite the trauma, she said her brother's kindness — and her own — won't go away. "I'm always giving people a few dollars. I'm always buying meals. I hand out gloves in the wintertime," she said. "We're compassionate people, but this makes me very angry."
Scoop
07-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Propertyscouts Invercargill, Property Management, Named In Top Ten For Excellence In RTA Healthy Homes Compliance
Invercargill, New Zealand – Propertyscouts Invercargill have proudly secured a place in the Top Ten for Excellence in Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) Healthy Homes Compliance across the South Island, a prestigious recognition that highlights their commitment to providing safe, warm, and compliant rental homes for tenants. This accolade reflects the property management team's unwavering dedication to upholding the Healthy Homes Standards, which include critical requirements around heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress, drainage, and draught stopping. These standards, introduced under the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, aim to improve the quality of rental housing for over half a million New Zealand households. Ingrid Scott business owner and branch manager at Propertyscouts Invercargill, expressed pride in the team's achievement: "We're thrilled to be recognised among the top performing property management companies in the South Island. That means we are in the running for an award, and it's the first of its kind in NZ. It is a big deal! Our team works tirelessly to ensure every property we manage meets or exceeds compliance standards. This recognition is a testament to our proactive approach and the trust our clients place in us. It also attests of operational excellence and forward planning. Our team is buzzing with excitement." Propertyscouts Invercargill has built a reputation for excellence in property management, offering guaranteed rent, 24/7 availability, and expert knowledge of New Zealand tenancy legislation. Their hands-on, investor-focused approach continues to set them apart in the industry. This recognition follows a string of recent successes for the team, including multiple awards at the national level.
CBC
15-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Minister has no plans to address so-called fixed-term lease loophole
Nova Scotia's minister responsible for the Residential Tenancies Act denies her government is providing landlords with a way around the provincial rent cap, but she also confirmed Thursday there are no plans to do anything that would help prevent the abuse of fixed-term leases. Jill Balser told reporters following a cabinet meeting in Halifax that the cap on rent increases created disruptions to the housing market and her government doesn't want to make any other changes that could further affect supply at a time when vacancy rates are showing signs of improvement. "For us at this point in time, the focus on supply is changing the housing market," she said. "So knowing that Nova Scotians will have choice is really our focus." 'Now they have options' Balser said renters are beginning to have more choices about where to live, with some landlords offering incentives to sign a lease as the vacancy rate increases in some cases. "If a particular unit is not where they want to be or perhaps it's a lease that they don't necessarily want to sign, now they have options and that's really the environment and the place that we want to get to." It's important that people ask questions and know what they're getting into before signing a lease, said Balser. For people who find themselves in a situation where they think the rules are being broken, the residential tenancies program is there to help, she said. The provincial rent cap applies to a unit as long as a tenant with a periodic lease lives there. When they move out, rents can be adjusted above the five per cent cap. However, there is a prevailing concern among housing advocates that some landlords are switching tenants to fixed-term leases because it is easier to move those tenants out for a new tenant, for whom the cap would not apply. Interim Liberal Leader Derek Mombourquette said there is no reason for the government to continue to allow abuse to happen without any kind of response. "I don't buy this idea that there are these unforeseen circumstances if they don't correct this," he told reporters. "They could act on this, they could support a lot of people across this province, and they won't." NDP housing critic Susan Leblanc said Balser's explanation for why her government will not address concerns about fixed-term leases "doesn't make any sense." "People come into my office every single day worried about getting evicted or not being able to find a place to live when their fixed-term lease runs out. So the government's focus does not seem to be on them," she told reporters. "I don't know where it is, but we need to focus on the people who are most vulnerable."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lack of rent control in N.W.T. to be reassessed this year, minister says
Northwest Territories ministers have responded to criticism over recent big rent increases of hundreds of dollars for some Housing N.W.T. owned units. Last month, rent increase notices were sent out to residents who rent market-rate units from Housing N.W.T. Housing N.W.T. has said they wanted to better match unit rent rates with territorial averages. However since there haven't been rent increases to their market units since 2012, residents will see their rent go up anywhere from around $300 to over $700. The market-rate units in small communities are typically occupied by essential workers such as teachers and healthcare workers or community members. Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana said increasing the rents was a "tough but necessary decision" in a statement to CBC. She said the adjustment was crucial to maintain fairness in the housing market, and the additional revenue is needed because of declining federal support. "No one wants to increase rental rates, but with increasing cost and decreasing operating funding, we needed to make this hard decision so that we can continue to offer housing programs. Heating costs are included, along with maintenance and repairs," the statement reads. Justice Minister Jay Macdonald wrote in a statement that the territory has also explored implementing some form of rent control in the past, and will soon be revisiting those discussions. "Given the issues raised by the Rental Office and other stakeholders, the Department of Justice has committed to a new, thorough review of the [Residential Tenancies] Act, in 2025," wrote MacDonald. "The issue of rent control will be re-evaluated as part of this review, ensuring that we address current challenges and consider all perspectives." Many of Canada's provinces and the Yukon have some form of rent increase caps, but the N.W.T. does not. MacDonald said the government looked into rent cap measures a few years ago, during the 17th Legislative Assembly, when they did a review of the Residential Tenancy Act. But they ultimately decided against them. "[That] decision was based on research, experiences in other jurisdictions, and the unique housing situation in the N.W.T.," wrote MacDonald. Rent increase limits typically apply to all landlords in a jurisdiction, and would likely apply to Housing N.W.T. as well as private landlords. Kuptana concluded her statement by saying that other supports are currently of the supports she mentioned was the Canada-NWT Housing Benefit, which can provide up to $800 a month for eligible residents who pay over 30 per cent of their gross income in rent. "This benefit is here to support people who may be affected by the recent rent change. If you think you might qualify, I encourage you to apply or reach out to the Housing N.W.T. team for more information."
CBC
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Lack of rent control in N.W.T. to be reassessed this year, minister says
Northwest Territories ministers have responded to criticism over recent big rent increases of hundreds of dollars for some Housing N.W.T. owned units. Last month, rent increase notices were sent out to residents who rent market-rate units from Housing N.W.T. Housing N.W.T. has said they wanted to better match unit rent rates with territorial averages. However since there haven't been rent increases to their market units since 2012, residents will see their rent go up anywhere from around $300 to over $700. The market-rate units in small communities are typically occupied by essential workers such as teachers and healthcare workers or community members. Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana said increasing the rents was a "tough but necessary decision" in a statement to CBC. She said the adjustment was crucial to maintain fairness in the housing market, and the additional revenue is needed because of declining federal support. "No one wants to increase rental rates, but with increasing cost and decreasing operating funding, we needed to make this hard decision so that we can continue to offer housing programs. Heating costs are included, along with maintenance and repairs," the statement reads. Justice Minister Jay Macdonald wrote in a statement that the territory has also explored implementing some form of rent control in the past, and will soon be revisiting those discussions. "Given the issues raised by the Rental Office and other stakeholders, the Department of Justice has committed to a new, thorough review of the [Residential Tenancies] Act, in 2025," wrote MacDonald. "The issue of rent control will be re-evaluated as part of this review, ensuring that we address current challenges and consider all perspectives." Many of Canada's provinces and the Yukon have some form of rent increase caps, but the N.W.T. does not. MacDonald said the government looked into rent cap measures a few years ago, during the 17th Legislative Assembly, when they did a review of the Residential Tenancy Act. But they ultimately decided against them. "[That] decision was based on research, experiences in other jurisdictions, and the unique housing situation in the N.W.T.," wrote MacDonald. Rent increase limits typically apply to all landlords in a jurisdiction, and would likely apply to Housing N.W.T. as well as private landlords. Kuptana concluded her statement by saying that other supports are currently of the supports she mentioned was the Canada-NWT Housing Benefit, which can provide up to $800 a month for eligible residents who pay over 30 per cent of their gross income in rent. "This benefit is here to support people who may be affected by the recent rent change. If you think you might qualify, I encourage you to apply or reach out to the Housing N.W.T. team for more information."
