The Pad Picker Inc.
PO Box 70014, RPO Cobequid B4C0B1 Lower Sackville, NS, Canada

Nasty thing to do. There is no greater injustice than that of the landlord-tenancy relationship. The scales are tipped too much in favour of tenants and their rights to privacy and consumer protection over the landlord's rights to self-defence, mitigation, enforcement and protection of their property. Tenants have more rights than actual homeowners and they only pay a portion of what a homeowner does to live in a property. Sure, there are bad landlords, but there are a lot of bad tenants. Finding a bad landlord is usually quite easy so holding them accountable is not a problem. The reverse cannot be said of bad tenants. The system has to evolve to protect property owners and give them more power to mitigate their losses by fast-tracking the landlord-tenancy tribunals/courts.

Social programs are normally good for the general population. Freezing rents will be a misplaced attempt to control one part of the real estate industry that is inextricably linked to uncontrolled valuation. Properties are going way up in value in Halifax in response to increased demand as spillover from the other major urban centres of Canada maxing out. People are moving here because housing is affordable and this is driving prices up. Unless real estate values are goi...ng to be frozen, rents should not be. People will stop building rental properties, if the profit margins are not there to sustain the property and provide a positive return on investment. Perhaps the government is looking at this the wrong way. Rather than trying to control one major aspect of our capitalist economy, the government should take a closer look at the average income of the citizens. They do not earn enough income from their occupations to afford housing as it spirals upwards while their incomes have been frozen in a time warp since 1990. Working people need to earn enough to be able to pay for housing, other essentials, and have some disposable income to support the service industries and retail stores. Another possible solution could be for government partnerships in building units that are in short supply and high demand such as bachelors or 1 bedroom apartments, especially on the peninsula. Affordable family communities of modest 3 bdrm homes or apartments can be built off the peninsula where space is available and services abound. The main catalyst in all of this is the growth of the population. The federal government seems intent on bringing in 400,000 immigrants to Canada each year to ensure that the economy grows, but when is enough? Do we have a limit on how many people are sustainable in this area, province, country and planetary scale? Until other countries bring population growth under control, there are going to be more starving and desperate people. It is a worthy and inevitable discussion between nations. https://www.cbc.ca//rent-control-information-morning-housi

Best to relax until Covid-19 is over and then back to business. Government is protecting bad tenants along with those that have fallen on hard times from misfortune. https://www.cbc.ca//halifax-renters-landlords-evictions-fi

Canadian cities have led the pack on rental rate increases, according to Padmapper and Zumper data, with Halifax recording the steepest two-bedroom rental rate increase in the U.S. and Canada over the past year, up 15.8 per cent. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca//rental-rates-us-canada_ca_5

This is bad news for people struggling to save up to buy a home when rental vacancy rates are still very low.

Over the years I have heard that many local leasing agencies have employed this tactic to obtain landlord clients to hire them. Many unscrupulous agents would state that they had a "pool of tenants" looking for a place to rent like it was a secret pool no one else could access. It is common knowledge that all people looking for a place to rent will look on their own and not leave it up to chance that a leasing agent will find them a place. I discovered this as a relocation consultant placing hundreds of tenants moving here through corporate relocations. There are no secret pools of tenants relying on one company to find them a place to live. https://www.cbc.ca//calgary-landlord-warns-couples-offer-t

Plumbing is not that complicated yet people often flush things down the toilet that should go in the garbage. Please only put 1 or 2 ply toilet paper down your toilet whether you are on city/municipal sewer service or septic. Nothing else is appropriate and will cause plumbing problems.

GORSEBROOK PARK - An exciting new city escape located close to all Halifax has to offer and brought to life through modern architectural design. This new and decidedly different complex has been scaled, configured, and designed to complement both the neighbourhood and the surrounding green-scape, Gorsebrook Park is a condominium residence that offers not only sophistication and strong contemporary appeal, but also the unique parkside living in the heart of the South End. 2 re...sidential elevators. Underground parking. High security features including Enter-phones in the lobby and parking vestibules; a fob-based access system at all condominium entry points and to the amenity areas; and strategically located security cameras. Party room contains a kitchen, dining area and lounge seating, with wireless internet access and a large screen TV, opening to the outdoor terrace and Gorsebrook Park beyond. - Outdoor common area with seating around 2 fire pits. - Fully equipped exercise room with free weights, weight machines and state-of-the-art cardio equipment. - Heated outdoor pool with loungers, overlooking Gorsebrook Park. - High-design suites with 9 high exposed concrete ceilings. -- Open concept designs with rolling barn doors. - Single plank engineered hardwood floors** in all areas other than washrooms. - Over-sized windows extending from the floor to approx 1 ft below the ceiling, with sliding doors onto balconies. - Brushed aluminum contemporary hardware. - Penthouses with rooftop access. - Climate controlled forced air heating & cooling with in-suite heat-pumps. European-style flat panel kitchen with open shelves, valence lighting and stone counter tops. Single stainless-steel sinks, with retractable single-lever chrome faucets. Ceramic backs plash. Four stainless steel appliances consisting of a frost-free refrigerator, self-cleaning oven, dishwasher µwave. In-suite stacked washer and dryer. European-style flat panel bathroom vanities with stone counter tops and contemporary faucets. Matching medicine cabinet. White, contemporary designed dual-flush toilets. Tubs/showers, with full height tile tub/shower surrounds. Glass shower doors for separate showers. Porcelain tile flooring. Temperature controlled valves in all showers. Available for August 1, 2021. 12 month fixed term lease preferred but will consider shorter terms. $4000 per month includes heat and hot water. Tenant pays electric. Up to 2 parking spots are possible for $150/mo for each. Storage is available for $50/mo.

https://www.halifaxtoday.ca//rent-has-to-be-paid-landlords

https://www.canada.ca//2019-novel-c/prevention-risks.html

Deferring mortgage payments is not cut and dry. Lendors are only allowing it on a case-by-case basis. https://www.cbc.ca//banks-rbc-bmo-td-mortgage-credit-coron

We do not need enforcement teams. It would be a waste of tax $$$. BC is different because there is a much larger population, much higher property values and rents, and many landlords not following legislation properly. In NS, the RTB is all that is needed. To avoid bad tenants, property owners should hire a professional property manager or leasing agency. Evan Har applied for a home we manage and we rejected his application without even doing a credit check. Things didn't add up. Experienced property managers can find the signs. https://www.cbc.ca//enforcement-teams-rental-problems-nova

Is the answer to build more units or lessen immigration? How many people are enough and how many are too much? Do we have the roadway infrastructure to handle more vehicles? Can the environment handle more supercities like New York and Hong Kong? Are we planning enough for the future??????????????????????????????????

FULLY FURNISHED 2 BEDROOM 2 BATHROOM CONDO ON SPRING GARDEN ROAD. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2236639153105013/

This does not happen in properties we place the tenant and manage.

Wow! 19% increase in NS property values from Nov 2018 - Nov 2019

Good to see the apartments are still affordable. Great job Ron Lovett!

Another plumbing disaster waiting to happen.

Runs out this month so act fast to submit a claim if you have or had Kitec piping.

https://www.thestar.com//a-third-of-halifax-tests-for-lead

Don't ever trust online reviews from YELP, GOOGLE, or TRIP ADVISOR. They don't have anyway to verify the validity of the complaint and post anything. Nowadays..., tenants and customers use these services to blackmail, threaten, and seek revenge on vendors and landlords who don't bend to their will. Let's face it, most people will not seek out and join a website to enter a good review, instead they will email a thank you to the company providing good service. As a property management and leasing agency our primary client is the landlord and secondary client is the tenant. Many tenants do not understand the screening process of applications. Of course it is invasive without breaking laws and human rights. A landlord of a house is taking a huge gamble to lease to someone a home worth hundreds of thousands of $$$. It is not like buying a car or even buying a home. There is no collateral or guarantee that the landlord will get their money or recover damages if the tenants cause great damage. We have some negative reviews from bad people and tenants with a vendetta to damage our image. One guy, David Titus, rented a home in Bedford through us. When the owner heard David was buying a house, he decided to let David and his family break their lease early. The owner hired us to lease it again. David would not cooperate with showings. He owned a vicious dog and would not get it under control by crating it or being available for us to show the home, EVER. Not even weekends or evenings. He was rude and nasty to my leasing agent and me. In the end, the owner lost a month's rent because he had to wait for the tenant to move out before leasing it. David Titus has put a bad review on our Yelp and Google page AND create another personna to create other bad reviews for us. He generally says we are "a pain to deal with". Avoid renting to David Titus or doing business with him. He is not reasonable nor fair. Please spread the word that reviews online are not always trustworthy especially when there is no detail about the heart of the complaint. The Better Business Bureau would be a better avenue for checking on REAL problems because they actually mediate the issue and report if the business is not willing to explain or cooperate. The complaints are less likely to be frivolous whims nor blackmail.

https://www.thestar.com//low-incomes-and-rising-rents-crea

Watch the sparks from open fires too. Should be 15' away from anything combustible or well enclosed with screen or cover.

This is probably why homes being sold in Nova Scotia that are occupied with tenants, must be provided notice to vacate by the buyer after it closes rather than the seller having to do it before closing. Saves liability for the seller if tenants did not move. Fixed term leases are still the best way to forego the inconvenience and associated deterrent for buyers so homes can command a higher sale price.

There are too many people like this. The number has grown with the help of Dalhousie Legal Aid posting a booklet online explaining what tenants can "get away with". There are too many grey areas and loopholes in Nova Scotia Tenancy legislation. Now HRM councillors have voted to bring in a mandatory landlord registry. As if landlords are not tracked enough by Residential Tenancies Board. I think we need a mandatory tenant registry where tenants behaviour and rental hist...ory is tracked to prevent these kind of people from being able to get away without paying rent and harassing their landlords. The escalating costs of being a landlord brought on by their responsibility to get rid of tenant-introduced bedbugs and joining this registry will increase rents and lessen rental stock as people decide to sell their homes rather than rent them. There is an online listing of all the properties that have had bedbugs. There should be one listing the names of the people who brought them into the building. Fair is fair. See more

An "Act of God"? Prove it!

The time is now that we must send a message to politicians and big business. Protest and strike to send a clear message. There is power in numbers. Join Extinction Rebellion to rebel against climate change and the abuse of our planet by corporate interests.

Awesome! Perhaps some real action will take place on the municipal gov't level. Hopefully it trickles upward.

None of these changes are earth shattering. Biggest change is the cannabis legislation and how landlords have to approach its affects on tenancy. Will any landlords let tenants smoke or grow marijuana in their rental units? I think not. Storing abandoned possessions for half the time is nice. Other aspects are just re-wording the Act so it is more clear. https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20180918007

A majority of Atlantic Canadians believe landlords should be able to change current lease agreements to ban marijuana smoke in their buildings once its legalized.

I've seen a couple of places almost as bad.

Have to laugh that CTV news quoted PadMapper.com for their data which states rents have gone up in Halifax since last year. PadMapper's accuracy is questionable. They use numbers of what people are advertising their apartments for NOT how much they actually rent them for. This is like realtors claiming sale prices have gone up in Halifax for houses based on the asking prices, NOT the actual selling price. Why wouldn't they use CMHC data that is based on real data from surveys of landlords with rented apartments. If rent controls ever come back, we need to sweep across the complete capitalistic spectrum of services and products to make sure companies don't make too much money. Why should just property owners be targeted?

Heat Pumps - SEER what? SEER Defined, Explained, Calculated https://inspectapedia.com/airc/SEER_Ratings_Definitions.php

Good to get the lead out.

Be careful when you buy or sell. https://www.thestar.com//be_careful_with_wording_of_home_i