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Nova Scotia Services Minister Jill Balser told reporters at a cabinet meeting Thursday that her department is monitoring the trend and hopes to avoid disrupting housing supplies as vacancy rates appear to be improving. The government said the province’s vacancy rate has risen to two percent in the past year.
“The unexpected result is that we don’t want to see anything that will affect the supply,” Balser said.
However, after repeated inquiries from reporters, she did not specify how housing supply would affect.
“We have seen the abuse of fixed-term leases, which is very disappointing, but our focus has always been on supply,” she said. The minister stressed that it is important to know what they are going to enter before signing the lease.
“For those who think they think the rules are being violated, a residential rental plan helps,” Balser said.
But the opposition’s NDP and liberals say Basel’s explanation of not being expressed is meaningless.
Interim liberal leader Derek Mombourquette said the government wants to give landlords a loophole to hit a 5% cap until the end of 2027, a balser on charges was denied on Thursday as “incorrect”.
“I don’t buy the idea that there are unpredictable consequences, I just don’t,” Moblequit said. “There is an obvious problem that affects tenants in the province…the government has not taken action.”
New Democratic Caucus Chairman Sue Leblanc said solving a problem that makes landlords exceed the ceiling for rent deductions is not a government priority.
“People are worried about being evicted or not finding a place to live when a fixed-term lease runs out,” LeBron said. “The government’s focus doesn’t seem to be on them…we need to focus on the most vulnerable.”
Unlike periodic leases, fixed-term leases do not automatically renew their set end dates. Provincial rental caps cover periodic leases and circumstances, where the landlord signs a new fixed-term lease with the same tenant, but does not cover the fixed-term lease for the new tenant.
Last fall, many landlords defended the use of fixed-term leases before the Legislature committee, saying it helped them cover costs when facing the government’s rent cap.
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Atlantic housing supply
Last modified: May 16, 2025
