Angus Fletcher, an organizer with the NB Coalition for Tenant’s Rights calls the province’s current system used to contest rent increases, “a system that’s designed not to be used,” saying the complicated process could be behind delays some renters are facing.
Renters who would like to contest rent increases need to do so by making a complaint with the Residential Tenancy Tribunal.
A tribunal officer will then compare the increased rent to the going rate of similar units in the same area.
If the new rate is deemed to be within market value, the tribunal officer then determines whether to spread the increase over time depending on whether it’s above the consumer price index.
Fletcher called this process “data-intensive” and is calling for a return to a rent cap based on a fixed percentage to simplify the process.
He said his organization often acts as an intermediary between renters and the province, and that some people have been waiting longer than the province’s 45-day target time for a decision, with some people waiting up to 60 days.
“We’re essentially doing as advocates what the provincial government has asked us to do, which is to direct people to the tribunal,” he said. “And it just seems the moment people started using that institute, it had any kind of volume, (the tribunal) wasn’t really able to handle it.”
He said many people opt to find new housing rather than wait for a response on a rent increase or an eviction, adding not everyone has that option.
“The less affordable housing becomes, the more people will be sort of stuck trying to find new housing but not being readily able to sign a lease waiting for confirmation one way or the other,” he said.
In a an emailed response sent to Global News on Thursday, a spokesperson for Service New Brunswick said that the tribunal, “was successful in maintaining the average response time targeted for most cases (in 2022) and the RTT intends to stay on track for 2023.”
They specified the tribunal has 32 staff members working in various capacities, up from 22 in 2020.
The provincial government invested $1 million into the tribunal in the latest budget due to “increased volume of inquiries.”
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