Nova Scotia - No Pet Rules Forcing Renters to Surrender Pets For Accommodations

​www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/calls-for-nova-scotia-to-adopt-pet-protection-for-renters-1.6957204

As the housing crisis continues to make renting / buying properties a nightmare, the lack of pet-friendly rentals is getting more scarce and pet-owners are being forced to surrender their pets in order to find a roof over their heads. Nova Scotia is seeing a surge of surrenders this time of year, and while it can typically be blamed on feral cats reproducing, it's also unfortunately the result of a lack of protections for pet-owners, and a lack of availability of rentals that permit pets. This crisis is forcing families apart and filling shelters with animals that have been with their families for half of their lives, unsure of what they've done to be surrendered.

Not My Photo - Photo taken from CBC.ca

Nova Scotia lacks any real protections for pet-owners which allows landlords to decide on a whim that they're banning pets. In doing so, they can evacuate rentals, increase rent, and rent out at higher costs. In some cases, renters had been in their apartments for 10+ years until new management took over and decided that there would be no pets. This situation forces renters out of their apartments unless they want to surrender their furry family members in order to remain in their apartments. This sort of a choice is too common, and extremely unfair and compassionless to families who are torn apart.

Canada is definitely in the midst of a housing crisis, this cannot be denied. When you look at this crisis, landlords should not be able to suddenly switch course and force renters out who have pets. Not only do no-pet rentals put families in difficult positions, it causes shelters to swell with surrenders, putting immense financial, mental, and physical stress on shelter workers. More surrendered pets means more resources required, a cost a lot of shelters struggle to keep up with. This cycle causes immense stress on families, tears families apart, and puts insurmountable pressure on shelters to adopt out animals when there is such a struggle to find pet-friendly accommodations.

It's not just about Nova Scotia, this is a Canada-wide problem. Landlords are taking liberties and trying to make as much money as possible with as little liability as possible. Landlords could easily take security funds from renters in case of damage from pets, but they don't. They're taking the easier route, the shady route given the current housing crisis. Landlords are knowingly forcing renters in to difficult, emotional predicaments as they weigh the decision of surrendering their furry family in order to find accommodations.

There needs to be a conjoined effort between federal and provincial Governments to find a solution to this problem. The housing crisis isn't going anywhere, but shady landlords who abruptly decide to ban pets is a problem that CAN be tackled. There needs to be protections in place for renters with pets, period. Shelters shouldn't have to burst at the seems with surrendered loved ones because landlords are getting away with forcing people out of their rentals. Things need to change.

HAPPY VEG