Halifax Water rate hike will drive up rents, landlords say
CBC
Two rate hikes proposed by Halifax Water will drive up rents in the municipality's already strained housing market, according to an association that represents landlords.
The Rental Housing Providers of Nova Scotia has filed for intervener status in the water utility's application to the Nova Scotia Regulatory and Appeals Board, submitting a short letter on Monday in which the industry group said it's "deeply concerned" about the proposed rate changes.
Kevin Russell, executive director of Rental Housing Providers of Nova Scotia, said he's gathering evidence to make his case to the board.
"It's just another cost that the industry will have to bear, which ultimately will end up in rents," Russell said in an interview.
Halifax Water applied to the board earlier this month for rate increases that would come into effect over two years.
The utility is asking for a 16.2 per cent increase in the average residential bill in the 2025 fiscal year, which began April 1, and an additional 17.6 per cent increase in the 2026 fiscal year.
Russell said he doesn't have exact numbers on how many rental units include water in the rent and how many units require tenants to pay their water bills directly. However, he said the majority of purpose-built rental buildings have water included, while many units in family homes do not.
Russell said he doesn't know what it will look like yet, but he intends to propose to the board an alternative to what Halifax Water has proposed.
The board has scheduled a public hearing for the matter in September, where submissions from all participants can be reviewed and discussed before the board makes a decision.
Private landlords aren't the only ones worried about Halifax Water's proposal.
Trish McCourt said this "significant" jump in water costs will be hard to absorb for non-profit housing operators.
"Every dollar counts when it comes to non-profit housing developments," said McCourt, executive director of the Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association, in an interview.
"There's not a lot of places to go to find that additional revenue for those kinds of increases, especially when you're looking at something happening fairly soon," she added.
McCourt said her organization has not applied to intervene in the regulatory review of Halifax Water's case, but she didn't rule it out.
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