Tenancy Rights of International Students
Media Stories
October 29, 2024
Dalhousie Legal Aid Service has issued a press release condemning Olympus Properties for illegally requiring tenants to pay both a damage deposit and last month’s rent before signing leases. These practices violate the Residential Tenancies Act, prohibiting landlords from collecting fees upfront.
Tenants renting from Olympus Properties report that, in addition to these unlawful charges, they have not received refunds. Some tenants have also noticed additional unauthorized fees withdrawn from their accounts. Dalhousie Legal Aid Service is working closely with affected tenants to address these injustices.
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Credit: Instagram: @dallegalaid
February 26, 2024
The municipality issued eviction notices to five out of eleven encampment sites in Halifax. Despite the passing of the eviction deadline, many people are still staying at these locations due to the lack of better options. The government claims that there are many alternatives for housing. However, concerns exist regarding privacy in shelters and the lack of suitable options.
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Credit: 5 Halifax homeless encampments must be vacated Monday | CTV News
January 25, 2023
This article discusses the new cap from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): "In 2024, IRCC aims to issue 360,000 study permits, a 35-per-cent reduction from 2023... International students coming to study in any province except Québec have to demonstrate they have access to $20,635."
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This article also discusses the problematic narratives from the media that scapegoats international students for Canada's housing and healthcare issues. These issues are wrongfully blamed on international students despite their contribution to the Canadian economy (22.3 billion) and society.
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March 22nd, 2023
The temporary rental increase cap remains in place until December 31, 2025, in Nova Scotia. The two percent rent cap will end on December 31, 2023. Starting January 1, 2024, the province will increase the rent cap to five percent.
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Credit: Rent Cap Extended - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada
September 7th, 2023
This story discusses the report that was published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The report states that the living wage in Halifax is $26.50. The year-over-year increases in Nova Scotia averaged 14 percent, which hasn’t been seen in the past 30 years. The most significant cause for the increase in living wage is due to shelter and food costs. The minimum wage in Halifax will be $15 as of October 1st, 2023. This is very low compared to the average living wage, making it difficult for Halifax residents to afford basic needs for a living.
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Credit: New report looks into the increase in Nova Scotia's living wage | CTV News
August 24th, 2023
This article highlights the negligence of the government towards the rising amount of homelessness in Halifax. The Minister of Community Services referred to the rising homelessness in Halifax as a natural occurrence.
The latest number of homeless people in Halifax is up to 940 people, which is an increase of 50 percent compared to 2022. Rent prices have increased by 25 percent compared to 2022 as well. One out of every four Nova Scotians struggle with food insecurity, which is caused by the high rise in rent prices. Another leading factor to homelessness is renoviction, where landlords evict tenants to renovate homes to list them at higher prices to maximize profits. The article states that there needs to be more government action or this crisis will get worse.
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Credit: Homelessness in Halifax worsens, Houston government ignores the crisis - Spring (springmag.ca)
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August 23rd, 2023
The housing crisis with high rental costs and low vacancy rates is making it challenging for post-secondary students to keep up with their academic studies. Many students have been experiencing homelessness and facing financial struggles due to high rates of tuition fees and trying to find an affordable place to live. The article states on-campus housing often gets filled up very quickly and is not affordable for many students. It is especially challenging for international students to find housing as they face risks of scams as they may not be aware of their rights as renters yet. There is a need for more resources and bursaries to support students during this housing crisis.
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September 6th, 2022
Stacy Gomez has been living at her place in Halifax for nearly five years. Gomez's home quickly turned into an unsafe environment due to her landlord trying to evict her for renovation. The Tenancy Act requires both the landlord and the tenant to come to an agreement to terminate the tenancy for renovation.
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Ever since the landlord's attempts to evict Gomez, Gomez has been feeling unsafe at her own home due to the threats and harassment she received from her landlord. The threats consisted of an offensive sign on her property, removing her front steps and destroying her deck. The landlord also left a letter on her door warning the risks of staying at her place, as he started the construction process. The letter stated that Gomez is responsible for any risks of injury, or even death. The construction had been put to a stop as it was being done without a permit. Gomez continues to fight for her rights as a tenant and seeks to get justice for her landlord's illegal actions.
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Credit: Stacey Gomez fights to keep roof over head and tenants' rights | SaltWire
February 18th, 2022
This story talks about the lack of vacant housing in Halifax. The vacancy rate is 1% and the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment jumped by almost 5%. It discusses the lack of affordability and a greater need for investments in social housing. These housing issues would affect international students who are looking for rent off campus.
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Credit: Population boom squeezes Halifax vacancy rate back to 1% | CBC News
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September 4th, 2021
This story talks specifically about international students struggling to find affordable housing in Halifax. International students are having difficulty finding roommates and are told their budgets are too low to afford housing. High rents are a barrier for international students due to tuition costs and limited employment hours during school terms. International students not being familiar with the area and not knowing where to look for housing worsens the problem.
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This story highlights violations of tenancy laws by landlords. Students say landlords must be fined as they have been breaching the legislation, for instance, by improper refunds of fees or infestations. There is also an indication of bias in tenancy legislation and that legislation is in need of reform.
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August 23rd, 2021
This news story talks about how much of a struggle it is to find affordable housing in Halifax due to the pandemic and the housing crisis.
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Looking for a place to live adds a lot of stress towards students who have to worry about securing a place to call home, as well as maintaining their academic achievements.
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It is especially hard for international students to get used to the city without any family around because they don't have sufficient extended support or someone to add as a reference when looking for a place to rent. That's why it is very important for international students to be familiar with their tenancy rights, and avoid situations that demand providing three months' worth of rent upfront.
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Credit: Halifax university students struggling to find housing | Watch News Videos Online (globalnews.ca)
September 4th, 2021
An international student from China named Yuduan Pu shares the story of his desperate search for housing in Halifax. He says that even though he has a perfect credit history, they do not think he is trustworthy because he came from a different place. Some apartments also require Canadian references, which Pu finds uncomfortable asking his friends because these are the things you would usually ask your parents.
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This article also mentions the struggles Arthi Amlipur, an SMU international graduate experience when she was looking for a place to live. When she was submitting her applications for renting, she had to pay in advance to get her application considered. When her application was rejected it took almost three weeks for her to get a refund.
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August 23rd, 2021
There are at least two "Bad Tenants" lists found that was created by landlords in Nova Scotia. There were about 3,450 names combined from those lists. Some of the people whose names were mentioned in the list never even had an interaction with the landlord who added their names.
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These lists are illegal because they violate privacy rights. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) are looking more into this investigation.
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December 15th, 2020
This reported occurrence involves a Saint Mary’s University student who at the time was less than 19-years-old. From the start, the student was asked for a co-signer for their lease which was not a necessary requirement for all tenants.
Additionally, the student was required to surrender their proof of employment and bank statements to the building supervisor.
When pressed about this, a man from the building supervisor's office told them that they do not accept people on social assistance. In addition, they were told one noise complaint would get them evicted.
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Credit: When landlords discriminate - Nova Scotia Advocate (nsadvocate.org)
December 5th, 2020
Two students enrolled at Cape Breton University from Bangladesh found an apartment to rent that was advertised on Facebook.
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Their unit, however, was not as advertised. The students described it as a “detached garage with no bathroom or kitchen”. They were told to use the facilities in the main house that was occupied by other tenants.
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As neither of them had been to Canada before they assumed that this must be the way some Canadians live. The landlord had received complaints before, but nothing was done about the conditions at the property.
The manager of Cape Breton building, planning and licensing laws described the unit and conditions as “absolutely illegal” and went on to say it should be reported and investigated.
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Credit: Cape Breton University international students share rental nightmare stories | SaltWire
August 29th, 2020
An independent tenancy advocacy group has petitioned for the Halifax city council to force landlords to be licensed.
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The group says that predatory landlords take advantage of tenants who are: low-income, students, newcomers to Canada, and families. Halifax ACORN says that these groups are being affected by substandard living conditions and lack of maintenance.
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That’s why they are calling for a system to be implemented where anonymous complaints against landlords could be heard and recorded.
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Landlords who have too many complaints would lose their licenses. It’s a way to bring accountability to landlords and incentivize them to maintain adequate living conditions for all their tenants.
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Credit: Nova Scotia tenant advocacy group calls for landlord licensing bylaw - Halifax | Globalnews.ca
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