Moncton Landlord Reverses Decision to Increase Rent by $2,000 After Couple Speaks Out
MONCTON – A Moncton couple says they are no longer facing a $2,000 rent increase from their landlord after they went public about their situation.
Josh Murphy and his common-law wife, Nikki Fournier received an unexpected visit from their landlord, Serge Babin, on Saturday. According to Murphy, Babin said he was increasing their rent substantially.
“[Babin told us] ‘as of September 1, your rent will be going up by $2,000,” said Murphy.
Babin gave Murphy and Fournier an official written notice of the rent increase. It said the couple’s rent would jump from $975 per month to $2,975. The letter says the massive rent hike is due to increases in the landlord’s expenses, including insurance, property tax, water and sewer, snow removal, and garbage removal.
When reached by Huddle, Babin said “no comment” and ended the call. A second attempt to call him went to voicemail. He also has yet to respond to text messages requesting comments.
But late Monday afternoon, Murphy says he received a phone call from the landlord, saying he had agreed to reverse the rent increase. He also is allowing the couple to give just a one-month notice if they ever find a new place to live.
Babin’s letter stated increased costs associated with the building were the reasons for the increase, but Murphy says he has talked to other people in the building, and none had been given notice of such a massive rent increase.
New Brunswick’s Residential Tenancies Act doesn’t mention restrictions on how much a landlord can increase rent. However, section 24.5 of the act states that the landlord can’t single out one particular apartment when raising rents.
“A landlord may increase the rent for premises described in section 24.2 if… The landlord is increasing the rent for each comparable unit in the same building by the same percentage or the increased rent is reasonable in relation to that charged for comparable units in the same geographical area.”
When Murphy and Fournier first moved into their two-bedroom Joyce Ave. apartment, they felt they were getting a good deal. Although there were issues with the apartment (like a leaking dishwasher), the couple felt this apartment was an upgrade from their previous location, especially since they would have their own washer and dryer.
Murphy is relieved he and Fournier are not forced anymore to look for a new apartment by September, given the rental market in New Brunswick. When he looked for new two-bedroom apartments online, most places were $1,200 a month or more.
To make things harder, their household income has been slashed significantly since Myles was born. Murphy, a car salesman, is now a stay-at-home dad on paternity leave, making Fournier, who works at a daycare as an early childhood educator, the only one employed.
New Brunswick recently completed a 90-day review of the rental situation but recommended against putting hard caps on rent increases, as many advocated have called for. Instead, they recommended more minor measures, like limiting rent increases to once a year.
According to Statistics Canada, rent in New Brunswick jumped 4.8 percent between March 2020 and March 2021, the highest jump in the country. Premier Blaine Higgs, however, has publicly stated that he is against capping rent increases.
Murphy says, even though the issue with him and Babin is resolved, for now, his issue highlights the greater problem of lack of regulation in the rental market.
“Even before this happened to me, I always thought it was ridiculous that they were saying no rent control is needed here,” he said.
“It’s irritating because there is no protection for anybody who has to find a place to live, there’s only protection for people who own these buildings.”