Halifax tenant blindsided after lease isn’t renewed, landlord cites ‘business strategy’

globalnews.ca:

fixed-term leases after hers wasn’t renewed – a decision the rental company said was necessary based on its “overall business strategy.”Sarah Mosher and her wife have been living in a one-bedroom apartment in a small multi-unit complex on Oxford Street for more than five years, but they will soon have to move after their landlord decided to end their fixed-term lease.“They had no complaints…. We’ve been good tenants the whole time,” Mosher said.

“It’s mainly, I believe, because they want to raise the rent more than five per cent.”Unlike periodic leases – such as month-to-month or year-to-year – fixed-term leases have fixed start and end dates, meaning they are not automatically renewed.Critics have decried fixed-term leases as a “loophole” for landlords to get around the province’s five per cent rent cap, as rent increases do not apply to new tenants.On March 11, Mosher’s property manager, Janet Mullins of BGI Properties, emailed her to say that her fixed-term lease wasn’t being renewed, and would end at noon on Aug. 31.Mosher responded, asking why her lease isn’t being renewed.“We didn’t come to the decision lightly,” Mullins replied, “but after taking everything into consideration, it was necessary based on our overall business strategy and needing to make tough decisions that align with our long-term goals and objectives.

Unfortunately, this means not renewing the Lease.”Mosher currently pays $910 a month for the space and says the rent will be hiked to $1,300 or more come September.She doesn’t believe the unit is worth that much, even with Halifax’s competitive rental market. The building is old, the unit is small and the heat is always “blaring.” She said the only way she can control the temperature is by opening