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Halifax tenant wins legal battle against landlord’s attempts to evict her

A woman is holding up a paper, there is construction work in the background on her house. She is wearing a jean jacket with her hair tied.
Stacey Gomez holds up the residential tenancy officer's decision in front of her home, which dismisses the application made against her by her landlord. Photo by Sara Gouda.
Sara Gouda - CKDU - Halifax • NS | 16-09-2022
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A residential tenancy officer issued a decision dismissing the application by landlord Marcus Ranjbar to renovict tenant Stacey Gomez on Monday. In addition, Ranjbar was also ordered to pay the tenant $837.91 in compensation relating to the loss of “some enjoyment of her unit.”

Gomez has lived in the building on Church Street since December 2017, and the building was sold to Ranjbar last year.

Photo of a wrecked backyard, there is wood on the ground, red tape on the wall and renovations taking place on a white house.

The Halifax Regional Municipality issued a stop-work order on the construction of Gomez's apartment on Church Street. Photo by Sara Gouda.

Issues arose with her new landlord, as Gomez claimed he had several attempts trying to renovict her, asking her to leave her home while the unit is being renovated. She said his reasons for seeking evictions were constantly changing.

“It feels like a victory for tenant rights in Nova Scotia. I think there are many people who are in similar situations like myself, who maybe don't know what their rights are, and don't feel confident to challenge when a landlord is trying to get them run evicted,” said Gomez in a press release.

Gomez said she has not heard from the landlord since the residential tenancy officer’s decision to reject his renoviction application against her, and remains concerned.

“I don't know what he's going to do. In terms of what has happened so far, [it] does make me concerned; I really don't know how he's going to react to the news that has come out today.”

On Aug. 22, Gomez went public with a video documenting the actions showing her patio and garden destroyed, saying these measures were taken by the landlord to renovict her.

The video garnered thousands of views on YouTube, and opens the conversation regarding renoviction and tenant rights in Nova Scotia.

Gomez said this calls for more protection rights for tenants, saying there are organizations advocating for landlord licensing.

Woman in a jeans jacket with her hair in a pony tail is speaking in to two microphones, there are two people in the back holding posters to support tenant rights.

In her press release, Gomez said this situation calls for more protection rights for tenants. Photo by Sara Gouda.

“If a landlord is behaving poorly and abusively against tenants and not doing the repairs that they're required to do, they shouldn't be allowed to be landlords.”

She said that in some other provinces, there are legal funds that tenants can access to be able to get legal advice to challenge renoviction. She also said there are instances where if units required repairs, the tenant is able to return after the repairs are completed.

“These are some limitations that I see that I would like to see improved in our province.”

CKDU made an effort to reach Ranjbar for a comment and interview but received no response.

Listen to the full interview below:

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