Halifax tenants in 'precarious housing situations' band together to fight renovictions

Late last year, multiple tenants in small apartment buildings around Halifax got similar letters from their new landlord, stating their leases would soon be terminated. But no reasons were given. 

This didn't sit right with Amanda Rose, who has been renting her one-bedroom apartment in the city's north end for almost six years. 

"It seemed targeted," Rose said in a recent interview at her Cunard Street apartment. "It seemed like it was targeted toward the tenants who had been here the longest and were paying the lowest rent amount."

Rose, who works as a funding co-ordinator in the social services sector, knew four people in her eight-unit building had received the letter.

When she knocked on some doors, she found tenants in four other buildings recently purchased by the same landlord, PreCor Property Management, were facing eviction attempts as well.

Rose said they started communicating in an email chain and offering information and support to others in "precarious housing situations."

Some contested the legality of letters, which were withdrawn by the landlord. Then came renoviction attempts for Rose and others.

Six months later, Rose is still living in her unit, fighting her renoviction. A residential tenancy officer ruled in her favour in May, saying the renoviction did not appear to be in good faith.

But her landlord appealed the decision to small claims court. A new hearing will occur in the coming months. 

"Fighting these renovictions, it's not only something that I'm doing because it's in my best interest and it allows me to have that safe, stable, secure housing, but it also is to protect the right to housing for all of my neighbours, too," she said. 

Sydnee Blum, a community legal worker with Dalhousie Legal Aid Service in Halifax, said she's representing one of the tenants in the appeal. Blum estimates up to 24 tenants of PreCor Property Management are impacted. 

"When it's happening to multiple buildings at a time, this is, to us, part of a systematized effort to evict long-term tenants, do cosmetic upgrades on a building and then rent them for higher rents," Blum said.

"And this is what we see in the classic renoviction, or flipping of apartment buildings."

Nova Scotia's Registry of Joint Stocks shows the director, president, and secretary of PreCor Property Management is Mitchell Hollohan, whose business address is listed in Halifax. 

Property records show Hollohan owns at least 21 properties under his own name and under various numbered companies. 

Hollohan did not respond to an interview request about the evictions and the condition of the buildings where renovations are planned. 

Asbestos claims

Rose said the landlord approached some tenants in February and asked them to sign an agreement to end their tenancy for renovations, stating an environmental assessment found asbestos in the building.

He offered the compensation required by the Nova Scotia government, and some additional money.

Rose, who pays just over $1,000 monthly for her unit, knew she wouldn't be able to find a new rental anywhere close to that amount. She didn't sign the agreement and asked for a copy of the asbestos report and the building permits. 

"I've been living here for six years, the building has had lots of renovations done throughout that time," she said. "The unit downstairs was converted into an Airbnb.... There was new backsplash put in, new sink, new counters, walls were painted.

"Never once was asbestos mentioned to us in that time."

Rose said she still hasn't seen the landlord's report, just an email saying asbestos was found, sent from an inspector who previously worked for Hollohan. 

In early May, Rose paid $425 for independent asbestos testing in the building. CBC News reviewed the report, which found no asbestos. CBC also requested a copy of Hollohan's report, but did not receive a response. 

The actions appear to be an attempt to displace lower-paying tenants, make cosmetic upgrades, and subsequently re-rent the units at higher rates.- Residential tenancy officer Lori Prest

After Rose and another tenant took their dispute with PreCor Property Management to the province's Residential Tenancies Program, the residential tenancy officer dismissed the renovictions. 

"The actions appear to be an attempt to displace lower-paying tenants, make cosmetic upgrades, and subsequently re-rent the units at higher rates," Lori Prest wrote in her decision, which Hollohan appealed. 

The tenants are now awaiting the appeal hearing to be held in the coming months. 

Numbers in dispute

According to data gathered by Nova Scotia's Residential Tenancy Program, renovictions are becoming less common.

The program only counts renovictions if a hearing is applied for, not if tenants agree to leave and end their tenancy. Still, there have only been 19 applications so far this year.

In 2024, there were 84 renoviction hearing applications, compared to 152 in 2023 and 123 in 2022.

A department spokesperson said the decline "is largely due to the amendments introduced in 2022 to protect tenants in instances where their landlord tries to use renovations as a reason to terminate a tenancy."

"There is very strict legislation in place now about compensation, notice periods, proof that a landlord must provide and penalties for a landlord who doesn't follow the process," spokesperson Susan McKeage said in an email. 

However, Blum said renovictions are still common, they just aren't always counted in the data. 

"So, it doesn't capture tenants who are just agreeing to leave. And then it doesn't capture tenants who are on fixed-term leases that are terminated, or who are given illegitimate eviction notices and don't know that they can fight that," Blum said. "There's definitely been a spike this summer in the reports that we're getting of renovictions."

Rebecca Hartery lives in another one of PreCor Property Management's buildings. She contested the eviction letter last winter. 

She said the landlord told another tenant that renovations are coming. She noticed workers recently taking samples from the walls. 

She said she checks every day if building permits have been issued for her address, waiting for another eviction attempt, while continuing to communicate with the landlord's other tenants. 

"It feels really frustrating, but it also feels really motivating to make sure that people know their tenant rights and to talk to the people that you live with," Hartery said.

"I feel a lot more security and stronger with us communicating and being able to let each other know what's happening because I think it just builds a stronger case."