Kirsten Parnell had everything prepared for a lease takeover in Halifax. When she was asked to pay first and last months' rent, plus a damage deposit, she knew it was illegal and stood up for herself. Then she lost the apartment.
Abby Tucker has been on a hunt for a new apartment for months but keeps coming up empty. Rents are higher than she’s ever seen and the demand is “crazy,” she says.
Tenants at the Bluenose Inn & Suites, a residential motel in Bedford, say they're being threatened with what one legal worker is calling a 'mass renoviction.'
Brandy McGuire said she was in shock last month when she read the notice from the owners of Bluenose Inn & Suites that told everyone to vacate the property in suburban Halifax. The hotel has been home to McGuire and her family for two years.
The big influx of people to Nova Scotia from other provinces is being identified as a major reason for a further tightening of the rental market in Halifax. The city's one per cent vacancy rate is among the lowest in the country.