HALIFAX—An organization representing investment property owners in Nova Scotia is creating a new registry and certification program to educate its members on provincial tenancy legislation and help tenants find reputable landlords.

The Investment Property Owners Association of Nova Scotia (IPOANS) announced the landlord registry, modelled on a similar program in British Columbia, on Monday.

“It’s apparent there’s a need for more education on the landlord side, particularly with the front-line workers, to have a better understanding of the Residential Tenancies Act,” Kevin Russell, executive director of IPOANS, said in an interview.

IPOANS is designing a course on the provincial Residential Tenancies Act, which outlines the rights of landlords and tenants, for landlords and their employees, like building superintendents. Those who score 80 per cent or higher will receive an “I Rent It Right” certificate and be added to a searchable online database. The certificates will be valid for two years and then landlords and employees will have to be recertified to stay on the database. The course, which IPOANS hopes to launch this fall, will cost about $50.

Russell said his organization found LandlordBC’s program and decided to recreate it here.

“Designed to assist renters in identifying knowledgeable landlords who are committed to providing safe, secure, professional rental housing, the Registry can help you stand out from the crowd,” says the website for LandlordBC’s landlord registry.

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Landlords will see similar value in the certificate in Nova Scotia, Russell said.

“It’s a very competitive market so if a landlord can have the I Rent It Right certificate, they can advertise that and they’re on the database and it can be searched,” he said.

There’s no space in the database for tenants to rate landlords, Russell said, though it’s something IPOANS may consider in the future. There is already a tool for that covering many cities, including Halifax: a website called apt411.ca.

The registry differs from a residential landlord licensing program the municipality is considering. That program, proposed in a council request for a staff report in 2013, would seek to better enforce land-use bylaws and fire-safety compliance by requiring landlords to register with the city before leasing out their units.

The motion asked staff to consider programs like the one in London, Ont., implemented in 2011, which was designed to “address substandard housing conditions in rental units and Airbnbs to protect the amenity, character, and stability of residential areas.”

In June 2016, Halifax regional council directed staff to consult with stakeholders on that program, and a contractor, Stantec Consulting Ltd., completed the work in May 2017. According to a staff report on housing tabled in June 2018, staff were preparing a report on the outcome of Stantec’s consultation.

IPOANS argued against such a licensing program in a report by Russell published in April 2017, citing the cost for the municipality and Halifax’s relatively low population spread over a wide geographic area.

“A program if implemented would yield few results other than antagonizing taxpayers, tenants, non-profit affordable housing groups and income property owners,” Russell wrote, arguing instead in favour of “collaboration” with the industry.

Russell said after the landlord registry regarding the Residential Tenancies Act is implemented, hopefully by this fall, he’s hoping to work with the municipality to create a certification program for Bylaw M-200, which governs standards for residential rental properties.

“There’s a need for bylaw education in the city, particularly in the apartment rental sector, and we feel that a similar type of program would work well using the same format for educating on Bylaw M-200,” Russell said.

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“This is all about education and educating either the landlords or the public as to what their rights are.”

In an IPOANS news release, Halifax Councillor Waye Mason said the program “will be a great resource to help ensure tenants and the residents of Halifax expect in terms of landlord/tenant relationships.”

“Education is critical to making sure new landlords know what their responsibilities are and that they are equipped to carry it out,” he said in the release.

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