Yukon gov't, with NDP support, introduces new Residential Tenancies Act

The Yukon government has introduced a new law that aims "to create a fair balance between tenants and landlords" and replace the former Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. 

The new bill — the Residential Tenancies Act — enshrines rent control, requires landlords to provide a specific reason for ending a lease, and sets out distinct rules for mobile homes, among other changes.

"This bill ... is a delicate and deliberate balance of stability, transparency, and reasonableness to guide landlord and tenant relationships in the Yukon," said Community Services Minister Richard Mostyn.

The act would also allow tenants to end leases when their safety is at risk or if they need to move into long-term care. It also, for the first time, allows and regulates deposits for pet owners.

The idea behind that provision, said government policy analyst Sarah Murray, is to encourage more landlords to allow pet ownership in their units. 

"One of the key issues that we heard from people is that the lack of pet-friendly rentals is one of the big issues in the Yukon," she said.

Lars Hartling, president of the Yukon Residential Landlord Association, said he welcomes the new bill. But he still wants the government to get rid of rent caps. 

"Rent caps are arguably a bit of slamming on the brakes for investment into the Yukon," he said. "When this act is in place, it's going to be in place for a long time."

That's a concern echoed by Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon, who's on record saying landlords should be able to charge whatever they want. But he also said the rent control provision, which was introduced as an NDP demand in the confidence and supply agreement (CASA) with the government, was clearly meant as a temporary pandemic measure.

He said the government risks driving out private-sector investment in rental properties.

"I think that the intentions behind these policies are good intentions," Dixon said during debate on the bill Wednesday. "I think that it's meant to be an effective policy, but I don't think that the outcome shows us, here in the Yukon or around the world, that it is indeed an effective policy."

NDP Leader Kate White said the bill also requires landlords to offer right of first refusal for tenants who are forced out due to renovations. 

"If a landlord has not chosen to keep up with required repairs to keep a building meeting the health and safety standards, that's not a tenant's problem," she said. "I think that evicting someone for those reasons is unfair."

The bill is now before the legislature's committee of the whole.