Residential Tenancies Act and the Tenancy Board
The Residential Tenancies Act and Regulations is legislation that outlines the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants for residential premises in Nova Scotia. It provides an efficient and cost effective means for settling disputes between landlords and tenants. The Residential Tenancy Board is made up of persons, who have applied and been appointed by government, that hear appeals to decisions made by Residential Tenancy Officers. If a landlord and tenant are unable to resolve a dispute, an application to the directo r may be completed and filed with the Access Nova Scotia Office. The cost for filing an application to the Director is $10.
Tenancy AgreementsA landlord must provide a copy of the signed written lease and a copy of the Residential Tenancies Act to the tenant within 10 days of granting a lease or occupancy of residential premises. The standard form of a lease is available for purchase ($1.00) from any Access Nova Scotia location or may be downloaded using PDF format from the Service Nova Scotia & Municipal Relations web site. The Residential Tenancies Act is available from the Business Office, free of charge.
If the landlord does not give a copy of the signed written lease or a copy of the Act within the required time, the tenant may give a written notice to quit to the landlord. If the landlord is late giving the tenant a copy of the lease or a copy of the Act, the tenant may give the landlord a written notice to quit within one month of receiving a copy of the lease or Act. The notice to quit in all circumstances above cannot go beyond three months. Tenants should not sign or initial an agreement unless s/he actually received a copy of the lease or Act.
The landlord is required to provide the tenant with a name and address of a contact person who is responsible for the rental premise. The tenant is required to provide the landlord with names of other people who will be living in the premise. Landlords have the right to gain approval of every occupant of the premise and their name must be included on the lease.
Landlords can establish reasonable rules for the premises. Rules cannot be contrary to the Act or standard form of the lease. The tenant should be notified of the rules of the premises before signing the lease, and should be given a written copy of the rules, to be attached to the signed, written lease.
The landlord is responsible for keeping the premises in a good state of repair and fit to live in during the tenancy and to comply with all laws respecting standards of health, safety, and housing. The tenant is responsible for keeping the rental unit and all the appliances clean and for repairing any damages (due to their neglect or caused by any guests they allowed on the premises).
The Anniversary DateThe anniversary date in a landlord/tenant relationship is the date the written lease begins or, if there is no written lease, the date on which the first regular rent payment is due. The rent during a year-to-year lease cannot be increased until the anniversary date of the tenancy. A landlord must give a notice of rent increase four months prior to the anniversary date. This allows the tenant to decide whether they can afford a rental increase, or to decide if they will renew the tenancy for the next 12 months. If the tenant wishes to terminate the lease, s/he must give the landlord a written notice to quit three months prior to the anniversary date.
For information contact the following offices of the Nova Scotia Department of Business and Consumer Services:
Halifax Phone: 1-800-670-4357 Hours of Operation (All Services): Only Registry of Motor Vehicles Services: |
Dartmouth Dartmouth Access Nova Scotia Centre Location: Super Store Mall 650 Portland Street Dartmouth, NS B2W 6A3 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1652 Halifax, NS B3J 2Z3 Tel: 1-800-670-4357 Hours of Operation: |
This page last modified Thursday, 23-Feb-2012 10:59:41 AST