From VOCM:
Quote:
There's still no word on when changes will be made to the Residential Tenancies Act, but government insists it is committed to bringing new legislation forward. It's been two years since public consultations were held as part of a mandated review of the Act.
Liberal Critic Tom Osborne would like to see minimum health and safety standards as part of the act, so he says tenants aren't forced to live in squalor with little recourse. Osborne says government stated last March that it was close to putting the changes to paper, yet nothing has materialized.
Osborne argues that if the legislation doesn't come soon, the suggestions that came from the public consultation process will be outdated.
Service NL Minister Tony Cornect says the information received through its consultation process have been compiled into a report and the next step is forming legislation.
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It seems silly, but I hope there will be time for public consultation after the first reading. I also wonder how minimum standards would be enforced. At present, the only remedies available to a tenant are to pay rent to the Residential Tenancies Board to be held in trust until repairs are completed, or terminate the rental agreement on the grounds that the premises are unfit for habitation. Neither option entitles the tenant to any compensation, which is unfortunate given the cost of moving unexpectedly or the inconvenience of living in a home in serious need of repairs.