Tenants of nine buildings in the Brunswick Street area of Halifax say they're being pushed out by gentrification and they believe they could do a better job than their landlord at maintaining the properties.

People living in several properties owned by the non-profit Harbour City Homes received notices earlier this month that the society's board of directors decided to sell several buildings on Brunswick Street.

They're located between Saint Patrick's Church and Cornwallis Street.

Many tenants say they are not happy with an offer to move to other units owned by the non-profit and they wonder why the city isn't doing more to save the buildings they call home.

The tenants have formed the Brunswick Street Tenants Association and walked to their landlord's office Monday morning to deliver a letter.

Tenant Linda Beaver says they want a meeting with their landlord and they're angry.

"These aren't our community, these are people looking to make a buck. That's all they're doing," she said.

'It has nothing to do with profit'

Bob Thomson is general manager of Harbour City Homes and says that is not true.

Members of the Brunswick Street Tenants Association arrive at the office of Harbour City Homes to deliver a letter. (Shaina Luck/CBC)

"We are a non-profit. The only reason we're selling these is to invest back in the remaining properties. It has nothing to do with profit. We're not about profit or making more money at all," he said.

Harbour City Homes says they have no choice but to sell the buildings on Brunswick and Artz streets because they can't maintain them and they have 180 other units to manage.

"We've done hundreds of thousands of dollars of upgrades, and we cannot get it all done without selling these nine properties," Thompson said. "We're basically selling those to save the others."

The tenants believe the city should buy the buildings back, and grant them to the tenants, who could run things as a co-op.

Deb Key, the chair of the Brunswick Street Tenants Association, said they'd do a better job than what they've got right now.

"I think that we can get the right plan in place. I think that we can put the right people in place," she said. "I just believe that we need to have that help from our government."

First right of refusal

The city does have the right of first refusal to buy back at least one of the buildings on Brunswick Street that was acquired in 2007.

But don't expect that help from the municipal government, says Halifax spokesperson Brendan Elliott.

"Public housing is not our responsibility. It's the [province's] responsibility," he said.

"We wouldn't even be able to entertain the idea of buying those eight other properties and giving them back to the community."

The tenants say these are heritage buildings and the city has an interest in seeing them properly maintained.

"I think that if you put somebody into a job and into a role — that is to provide affordable housing and they are not meeting that — then you know what? Give us a chance," Key said.

The properties are being sold for: