Nova Scotia ban on ‘refurbishment’ extended to February 1 due to pandemic – Halifax | The Canadian News

A ban on landlords terminating apartment leases for refurbishment purposes has been extended by the Nova Scotia government.

The ban on “renovations” – where a landlord removes a tenant, makes upgrades and then lists the unit at a higher price – is scheduled to end on February 1, which was introduced at the end of November.

It has now been extended until the lifting of the province’s state of emergency to deal with COVID-19 or when the government decides to revoke it.

In a news release, Nova Scotia Minister Colton LeBlanc said the move was necessary because of the uncertainty associated with the pandemic.

The province’s Residential Lease Act was amended in October to protect tenants in situations where a landlord has to terminate a lease for renovations, and the province says those new rules will take effect when the ban ends.

The changes include a requirement for written permission to terminate a lease, more notice before eviction and automatic eviction for eviction.

The compensation will be three months’ rent in buildings with five or more units and one month’s rent in buildings with four units or less.

A temporary two percent restriction on rent increases has also been extended by legislation until 31 December 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 28, 2022.