What is the longest a repair has taken in your home? A few weeks, months, maybe a year? What about almost a decade? While the last suggestion sounds outlandish, for Halifax, Nova Scotia resident Karen Crane, that’s her reality.
After moving into her apartment in 2015, flooding covered the living room multiple times CBC News found. Now, nearly 10 years later, the damage caused by the flooding has never been fixed.
To remedy the issue, Crane turned to the province’s Residential Tenancy Program (RTP) — a government initiative that can help renters and landlords resolve issues and provides resources for landlords and tenants. She also obtained an order from a municipal building official for repairs to be completed, which again, were delayed.
Even though the result was in her favour, Crane doesn’t view the government systems as a silver bullet for her situation. “I don’t think it’s meant to be that way, but there seems to be holes that need to be tightened up," she said.
What Nova Scotia’s Residential Tenancies Program ruled
Crane sought out resolution through the RTP’s dispute resolution process. She only asked for the repairs of her residence to be completed, not any financial compensation. The RTP’s tenancy officer sided with her and issued an order for the repairs to be completed in September 2024.
No repairs have been done, but Crane confirmed with the CBC that she has another RTP hearing comig up shortly, which will hopefully move the needle on fixing the years of neglect she’s experienced.
Melissa Mosher, director of the RTP, told the news outlet that she couldn’t respond directly to Crane’s case but recommended tenants in her situation request a rent abatement — a reduction in rent until the repairs are completed. Without this type of consequence in place, Mosher revealed “it could be a little more difficult” for tenants to enforce repairs to be done.
Why some say the program is ineffective
The Residential Tenancy Program is designed to be a resource for both renters and landlords, offering dispute resolution services, forms of important documents for each party to use and guides on renting or leasing.
Generally, a tenant that is seeking to resolve a dispute submits the proper Form J, which results in a hearing if the parties don’t opt for mediation. At the hearing, the residential tenancy officer issues a decision in the form of an order.
While the process appears rigorous, stakeholders have concerns about how enforceable these orders are on landlords that choose not to deal with serious issues. A tenancy enforcement unit report by the Nova Scotia government was released last year to determine the viability of creating a unit designed to enforce orders like Crane’s. In it, both landlords and tenants felt that the current program at that time “lacked teeth” to deal with serious issues and had “little or no deterrence of offenses”.
As it stands, no enforcement unit has been created by the Nova Scotia. government which has drawn criticism.
How renters can fight for their repairs
Hearing Crane’s harrowing experience can and has cast doubt on the effectiveness of government incentives. What can struggling renters do to get their landlords to step up? Try these ideas:
- Request a rent abatement. Requesting a rent abatement — or getting an official order for one — can drive your landlord to act due to the financial consequences. Keep in mind this can be a complex process.
- Contact municipal officials. Rentals in disrepute condition are likely in violation of a municipal by-law, which falls under the jurisdiction of municipal officials. Reaching out to your municipality can get an inspector in your residence. If the area is found to be in violation of a by-law, an order will be issued for repairs to be completed.
- Get a lawyer involved. In severe cases, obtaining legal counsel may be the best step, especially if the above avenues haven’t borne fruit.
Sources
1. CBC News: After fighting for repairs for almost 10 years, this Halifax tenant says the system is broken, by Nicola Seguin (Jul 2, 2025)
2. Nova Scotia Government: Residential tenancies: tenants and landlords
3. Nova Scotia Government: Application to Director to resolve dispute between landlord and tenant (Form J)
4. Service Nova Scotia Residential Tenancies: COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT UNIT PLAYBOOK
5. CBC News: One year later, still no residential tenancies enforcement unit in N.S., by Nicola Seguin (Apr 25, 2024)
6. Legal Line: Rights and obligations for repairs
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
