Although the ban on so-called “renovations” was lifted in March, property owners say the current restrictions are forcing them to shut down their businesses and will happen more and more. Tenant Corena Hiles has lived in a one-bedroom unit for the past eight months and got the news in a note from the landlord. “If you find this letter hidden under your door or taped to your door, it means I’ve been to your apartment and you weren’t home,” the note reads. “I’m sorry I missed seeing you as I wanted to deliver this sensitive news to you in person,” the note continued, explaining that the buildings have been sold and major renovations will begin on September 30. “This means, unfortunately, your leases will not be renewed and you will have to move,” the letter states. “Well, what went through my mind was, ‘I’m confused,’” Hyles said. “And I got the notice the day after I got home from my father’s funeral.” There is uncertainty next door for Adam Whynacht, who lost both his legs to diabetes. A social worker tries to find Whynacht and his wife a new place, but there isn’t much money in the budget. “Right now, it’s $750 for us to live here. If we go back, it could be anywhere from $900 to over a thousand dollars,” Whynacht said. There is also little doubt that both buildings have seen better days. A July 11 city inspection noted eight violations in just one unit:
Broken boards on exterior deck outside unit. A door serving the unit was not secured to the frame. One tub in the unit was missing enamel. Smoke alarms in the unit should be cleaned and checked to ensure they are in good working order. The concrete front steps were worn, with chunks of concrete missing. The self-closing on the safe door was not working. The tub faucet in the unit was leaking. and, Concerns about pests in the unit
“The property owner must address the violations noted,” HRM Public Affairs Counsel Klara Needler said in an email to CTV News.
“Please note this is an active file and Building Standards is in communication with the property owner,” Needler said. The owner declined to speak on camera with CTV News, but said he has worked hard to fix everything brought to his attention. He adds that all the tenants are on short-term leases, and with a signed offer on the table, he hopes to sell the buildings and retire. “There’s no winner in this and it’s very tragic,” says Kevin Russell, executive director of the Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia (IPOANS), a group that speaks for owners of more than 50,000 units in Nova Scotia. Although the province has lifted its ban on “renovations,” new rules are in place to prevent them from happening, along with a 2 percent rent cap, in place for another 16 months. “We’re in a period of high inflation where operating costs are higher and 2 percent rent just doesn’t cut it anymore,” Russell says. “And now (the owners) are in negative cash flow, so it’s very painful for them. They have no alternative but to sell their business.” Back at Dartmouth, Hyles knows she has less than two months to leave her home. He says he’ll take her clothes, but little else. “And I want compensation for that. I think everyone in this building should be entitled to some sort of compensation.” A high price, he says, for reasonable rent in an increasingly unreasonable rental market.
