Photo by Whitehorse Star
Pictured Above: KATE WHITE and MIKE TRIBES
NDP vows to bolster Landlord and Tenant Act
An NDP government would fix the Landlord and Tenant Act within a year of Liz Hanson becoming premier, the party pledged Wednesday.
An NDP government would fix the Landlord and Tenant Act within a year of Liz Hanson becoming premier, the party pledged Wednesday.
The New Democrats' action plan would deliver on the recommendations of the Yukon legislature's select committee, which studied the issue, to "incorporate best practices in residential tenancy legislation from across Canada,” said Kate White, the NDP candidate for Takhini-Kopper King.
"Within one year of forming government, Liz Hanson and the New Democrats will enact a new Residential Tenancy Act,” White said.
"The new act will bring clarity to the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords. It will also require basic health and safety standards for all rental units.”
The New Democrats' announcement was made in front of a rental house owned by Mike Tribes, the NDP candidate for Porter Creek North.
Tribes emphasized that tenants and landlords alike have called for changes to the current Landlord and Tenant Act.
"Responsible landlords support a new Residential Tenancy Act for the Yukon,” he said.
"The behaviour of slumlords and other negligent owners make all landlords look bad. Good landlords are happy to comply with basic health and safety standards, and support action against unscrupulous landlords,” said Tribes.
A Hanson-led government would also promote greater education to help tenants understand their rights, and would implement a new dispute resolution process to help keep conflicts between landlords and tenants out of courts.
Jan Stick, the NDP candidate for Riverdale South, outlined the New Democrats' platform planks on housing standards and staff housing, both of which she said have been neglected by the current government.
"Liz Hanson and the New Democrats will stand up for homeowners by developing a licensing and accreditation system for home inspectors, and developing a Homeowners Protection Act to ensure building deficiencies in new homes are addressed and to allow for the creation of a home warranty program,” said Stick.
An NDP government would also direct the Yukon Housing Corp. to work with First Nations and communities, unions and managers to address the short supply and sometimes poor quality of staff housing for government service providers.
"You can count on the New Democrats to take leadership on housing issues,” said Stick.
"The other parties make promises, but as your next government we will deliver,” she vowed.
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Comments (4)
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oh please on Sep 16, 2011 at 6:57 am
The Landlord/Tenant act is outdated. Yes it is. But, the residential tenancy section is very clear and does indeed guide the PRIVATE agreements between renters and landlords. It is completely inappropriate to twist this legislation so that it provides a social safety net for renters that either should be evicted because of their own behaviour or who can be evicted for no cause with notice when the landlord wants to sell or otherwise has plans for their property. The government has no business trying to force private landlords to house someone just because they don't want to pack up and move.
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bobby bitman on Sep 16, 2011 at 5:19 am
The NDP wants landlords to share their personal lives with tenants by telling them exactly why they want them to move out. Currently both the landlord and tenant agree to give each other a certain amount of notice. The minimum notice by our current law is one calendar month. The landlord and tenant can agree to increase that minimum in their own contract. The NDP does not like this. They wish to construct a short list of what they call 'causes for eviction', (simply saying 'notice' is not dramatic enough). If the landlord cannot find their particular circumstance in that little list, the tenant cannot be asked to vacate the rental home. Period. Such causes would include the landlord is moving in. "Hi there tenant, I am getting a divorce and need to move into my investment home."
There's a great idea! Nothing like letting it all hang out. Or, "My daughter is starting college and will be moving in." Then if the divorce does not go through or the kid decides to go somewhere else, the tenant is potentially in a position to sue the landlord for 'wrongful eviction'. Wonderful. How is this going to play out with 4000+ rental units in the Yukon?
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JC on Sep 15, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Liz Hanson still can't get those loafers behind the Legislature building off her mind. Since her party colleague Mike Tribes owns a rental house, why doesn't he volunteer to put them up?
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anonymous on Sep 15, 2011 at 7:22 am
Are you kidding me? This is what they are going to do? With all the problems in the Yukon this is all they are going to focus on? So disgusted...
Right now people need places to live before they can worry about bad landlords. Get real.
Staff housing for government service providers? You are not getting my vote. Unbelievable.