Landlords forcing tenants to let prospective buyers into their units despite Level 3 restrictions

The NB Coalition for Tenants Rights has received information that landlords seeking to sell their properties are requiring tenants to permit prospective buyers into their units despite Level 3 public health restrictions being in place across the province.

We are currently limited to a single household bubble. Why are tenants being required to let strangers into their homes? Moreover, tenants have nowhere safe to go while their units are being shown.  Most public spaces are closed or have significantly limited capacity and Health Minister Dorothy Shephard has stated that New Brunswickers need to assume COVID is everywhere. 

The Coalition believes that this puts tenants at risk and undermines public health efforts to combat COVID-19. 

‘There is no reason why New Brunswick renters should be forced to put their lives at risk so that their landlord can close a real estate deal,’ said Jael Duarte, the Tenants Advocate for the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights.

We are urging immediate action from the Government of New Brunswick to protect tenants. Landlords should not be permitted to require tenants to allow strangers into their homes.

Statement on the release of NB Human Rights Commission Guidelines on housing discrimination

The NB Coalition for Tenants Rights welcomes today’s release of guidelines on housing discrimination from the NB Human Rights Commission. 

For the past several months, we have heard countless stories of housing discrimination. People have told us about being denied housing because they have children, due to racism, because of their economic status and so on.

The government’s own rental review showed that 19% of tenants who responded to the survey said they had trouble finding a place to live because they had children.

While these guidelines are helpful, we remain concerned that enforcement mechanisms are lacking and that in an environment with limited protections for tenants, few tenants will feel comfortable pursuing complaints.

With landlords able to raise rents by as much as they want and evict people without having to provide any reason, there remains a disproportionate amount of power in the hands of landlords. The onus remains on tenants to initiate complaints without access to any legal aid if they face evictions or rent increases. In an environment where tenants have few rights, where vacancies are extremely low, and with rents increasing more than ever, tenants are under pressure to suffer injustice in silence.

Neither the Human Rights Commission, nor the Residential Tenancies Tribunal have the powers they need to make access to housing truly free from discrimination. This is why we are calling for a new Residential Tenancies Act that uses a right to housing framework to protect tenants. This means guaranteeing the right to security of tenure, establishing robust rent controls and creating eviction prevention programs among other protections.

We remain committed partners to advance these goals as the government begins working on its review of the legislation as recommended by the Rental Review Report.

We are hiring a Tenants Advocate for New Brunswick

The New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants Rights welcomes applications from lawyers or legally-trained individuals for the position of Tenants Advocate.

This is a one-year term with the possibility of extension, full-time (35 hours per week) at a salary of $64,000 per annum, plus an RRSP contribution of 5% and healthcare benefits.

The Tenants Advocate will be an employee of the Saint John Human Development Council.

Position summary

·       Act as primary media and public spokesperson for the New Brunswick Coalition for Tenants Rights on all matters relating to tenants rights in New Brunswick

·       Conduct know-your-rights workshops to empower tenants across the province

·       Help tenants navigate the tribunal process

·       Make referrals to appropriate services as necessary

·       Work in close collaboration with the UNB Legal Clinic on tenants rights

·       Prepare law reform submissions for government and coordinate strategic legal work to advance tenants rights in the province

·       Assist in the supervision of students

·       The position will not require individual representation of clients

·       The successful candidate will be expected to reside in New Brunswick and work remotely. 

Requirements

·       Fluency in English or French, with functional proficiency in the other language required

o   Fully bilingual between English and French an asset

o   Additional languages an asset

·       Belief in the power of social movements and experience in community organizing

·       A strong understanding of social and economic justice and the right to adequate housing

·       A commitment to trauma-informed lawyering, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, anti-oppressive practices, and anti-racist activism

·       Must have a degree in law either at the undergraduate (JD/LLB/BCL or equivalent) or graduate level (LLM or equivalent)

·       Demonstrable leadership experience

·       Experience in communications and media relations an asset

·       Experience practicing law an asset

·       Experience with public legal education an asset

·       Admittance to the bar in a Canadian province or territory and a practicing member of the Law Society of New Brunswick by the time of appointment is an asset

Please include the following in your application:

·       Cover letter expressing your interest (no longer than 2 pages)

·       Resume (no longer than 2 pages)

·       Names and contact information of 2 references in your application

You are welcome to submit the application in English or French.

Deadline: June 30, 2021 at 4:30 PM AST

Email: jobs@nbtenants.ca

The Saint John Human Development Council is committed to employment equity. While all qualified candidates are invited to apply, we particularly welcome applications from women, non-binary individuals, First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, members of racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+ persons and persons with disabilities.

Tenants React to Rental Review Recommendations with dismay and skepticism

At the end of a 90 day review of the rental situation in NB, the provincial government has failed to meaningfully address the concerns of tenant groups with no explicit recommendation for rent control or a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic.

Fredericton, NB - May 7 2021

The Government of New Brunswick has released the results of its 90 day review and tenant groups are criticizing the report for failing to address urgent tenant demands. 

The NB Coalition for Tenants Rights and ACORN NB have called for a moratorium on evictions for the duration of the COVID pandemic, an emergency 2% cap on rent increases, and a complete overhaul of the Residential Tenancies Act - a call supported by more than 30 community organizations.

In response, the government initiated a 90-day review of the situation facing tenants, kicking the can down the road while dozens of New Brunswickers continued to get evicted into a pandemic.

Thousands of tenants shared their stories with the government for this review. Organizations representing tenants made submissions during the review calling for a complete overhaul of the legislative framework governing residential tenancies. Demands included rent control, eviction protections, reining in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and increased investment in non-profit and cooperative housing.

The report, which makes 4 broad recommendations, largely misses the mark for tenant protections. The report, which consulted large REITs and landlord associations - many of which have been behind some of the worst eviction stories and rent increases - fails to recognize that many of these companies are in fact the problem.

“The only recommendation that we are pleased to see is the call to review the tenancy legislation,” said Sarah Lunney, representing ACORN NB. “We are calling on the government to act on this immediately.”

Tenants are also concerned that even this recommendation may not be implemented. “Premier Higgs stated at the outset of the review that there is no affordable housing crisis and later that he does not believe in rent control as a solution,” said Matthew Hayes, a tenant from Fredericton and spokesperson for the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights. “I’m worried that the government won’t follow up on this recommendation to review the legislation.”

During the pandemic, tenants spoke out about unchecked rent increases, evictions by renovation, and poor health standards. “The pandemic made a bad situation worse. It’s clear to us that many landlords have become pandemic profiteers,” said Aditya Rao, a tenant in Fredericton and a member of the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights. “The situation for tenants was already unsustainable and they have been pushed to a breaking point by the pandemic.” 

Tenant groups in the province say they will continue to push for reforms at the municipal, provincial, and federal level. “Housing is a human right and it’s clear that we cannot and will not rely on landlords to regulate themselves. Something has to give,” said Jill Farrar, a tenant in Saint John and organizer with ACORN NB.

Both ACORN NB and the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights remain committed to working with the Government of New Brunswick to strengthen protections for tenants.

Statement from tenants in response to the Premier’s comments ruling out rent control as a possible outcome of the 90-day review

The NB Coalition for Tenants Rights And ACORN NB note with great concern that the Premier appears to have decided the outcome of his 90-day review even before it has been completed. 

On Monday, in comments to reporters, the Premier stated that he is “not a fan of rent control” and effectively ruled out rent control as a possible outcome from the review. This is despite the fact that tenants have universally called for a robust rent control regime. 

Opposition to rent control is loudest from the landlord lobby who stand to profit from an unregulated market. In other words, the premier is taking advice from the foxes on how to guard the henhouse.

This confirms our suspicions all along - that this 90-day review is a dog and pony show meant to kick the can down the road while tenants continue to suffer the results of government inaction.

How can tenants trust this government to do the right thing when the Premier refuses to consult in good faith?

Statement on GNB announcement regarding public consultations on the 90-day rental review

We are pleased to see the review taking shape. We have received an invitation from the GNB Rental Review Project team to meet with them this month. 

We look forward to sharing our concerns with the government.

Our position continues to be that renters need immediate assistance, not in 90 days. These measures include a moratorium on evictions and a rental cap, and are echoed by over 30 community organisations.

We hope that this review will result in the recognition of the need for a complete overhaul of the legislative framework for tenancies to better protect tenants.

You can make your submissions here: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/promo/rentals.html

Please let us know if you do by emailing us at info@nbtenants.ca - We would love to hear from you!

Statement from the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights on the Premier’s State of the Province Address

Statement from the NB Coalition for Tenants Rights on the Premier’s State of the Province Address

February 11, 2021

FREDERICTON, NB

We are pleased to see that the Government is taking our concerns seriously by initiating a review of the situation facing renters in New Brunswick. 

However, we are concerned that the government has been sparse on details about what the review will include, how it will unfold and what the end goal will be. 

Will there be stakeholder engagement as part of this process, and will groups that represent tenants have a seat at the table?

Moreover, we are especially concerned that this simply kicks the can down the road. We need emergency measures now, not in 90 days.

We fear that this signals to landlords that if they were thinking of raising rents, they had better do it now. After all, 90 days happens to be the exact amount of time for landlords to provide notice to increase rents.

This underlines the importance of the proposals we put forward this week, signed by over 30 community organizations. In particular, the importance of retroactive rent protections and an immediate moratorium on evictions during the pandemic.