Saint John widow stunned by notice of a 74 per cent rent increase

A recently widowed Saint John woman given notice of a 74 percent rent increase on the apartment she shared with her late husband wants to see New Brunswick place limits on large rent increases people like her are experiencing. 

"You just can't come in and slap a 74 per cent rent increase on someone who is 66 years old on a pension," said Roxanne Cormier. 

"To me, it's unethical, it's not fair, and it's inhumane.".  

Cormier lost her husband in October. The couple have rented an apartment in a building on Sussex Drive in Saint John's north end for the last decade and most recently had been paying $775 per month.

In November, a numbered Ontario company set up by a Toronto real estate investor and an Alberta doctor bought the fifty year old, six unit structure for $746,000.  That's double what the building sold for in 2011 and nearly double what assessors with Service New Brunswick still value it to be worth.  

On Dec. 31, Cormier found an envelope taped to her apartment door with a letter inside informing her of a $575 per month increase in rent effective April 1, even though new rules in New Brunswick require tenants be given six months notice. 

"The rent is increasing $575.00 from the current payment of $775.00 to the new rate of $1,350.00 per month," read the letter from the new property manager..

"Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in this matter."

Cormier said others got similar notices, including an elderly tenant in her late 80s who has lived in the building for forty years.

"I got really mad and I thought 'Okay, this is unethical'," said Cormier, who called in a complaint about her short notice and the size of her increase to New Brunswick's Residential Tenancies Tribunal.

"I am already seeing someone professionally for grief counselling, so I didn't really need to have this added stress," she said      

"Where will I go? I just have CPP, old age and my widow's allowance. So it's like, where do I go? I was quite upset."

Sharon Delong is 72 and until recently was a neighbour of Cormier's in the same building.  She was wary about what new owners might do and moved out in November after 35 years, just one month before the rent increase was announced..

"I could see the writing on the wall as soon as the place was going up for sale," said Delong, who raised both of her children in the building.