Report finds tenants’ rights at risk in Nova Scotia, issues go unaddressed

A new report by a legal aid clinic says tenants’ housing rights are under threat across Nova Scotia.

Dalhousie Legal Aid Service conducted a provincewide survey of more than 1,200 tenants, and also analyzed decisions by the provincial body that enforces residential tenancy legislation.

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The survey indicated that more than half of leases signed in 2025 were for fixed terms, meaning they don’t automatically renew like periodic leases.

Housing advocates say fixed-term leases offer less legal protection than periodic leases, and allow landlords to ignore rent caps when they rent to a new tenant.

The legal aid clinic says only 6.2 per cent of respondents had filed a complaint with the tenancy enforcement body, a sign that issues are under-reported and unaddressed.

The clinic says legislation and policy reform should focus on addressing the imbalance of power between landlords and the province’s 139,000 households that rent.