Residential Rental Registry

By-law R-400, Respecting Registration of Residential Rental Properties (By-law R-400), adopted at the April 4, 2023, Regional Council meeting, is a new By-law. By-law R-400 establishes a new Residential Rental Registry, which will provide a clearer picture of the rental landscape in the municipality. Currently, the accuracy and detail of available building information is limited. A complete record of rental properties is expected to provide significant benefits for residents occupying these buildings by enhancing the municipality’s ability to provide services where needed.

By-law M-200, Respecting Standards for Residential Occupancies (By-law M-200) is not a new By-law. As part of approval for By-law R-400 on April 4, 2023, By-law M-200 received necessary amendments to improve clarity of safety-related maintenance items, such as internal doors, duct and vent inspection, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and emergency lighting.

The Residential Rental Registry will provide the municipality with a clearer picture of the rental landscape in the Halifax region. Currently, the accuracy and detail of available building information is limited. A complete record of rental properties is expected to provide significant benefits for residents occupying these buildings, by enhancing the municipality’s ability to provide services where needed.

Over time, the registry will help the municipality proactively identify maintenance issues, reduce complaints and non-compliance, and improve the safety and overall living conditions for renters across the region.

If you offer to rent or operate rental housing, you are required to register. This includes both large and small apartment buildings, income properties, single room occupancies, secondary and backyard suites and short-term rentals. Rental housing within a land leased community will need to register.

At this time, the registry will not include residential properties that are licensed by the province under the Homes for Special Care Act or land rented as part of a land-leased community (mobile home park).

The Residential Rental Registry process is comprised of the following three stages:
1. Registration: rental property owners to complete an online form to register their property(ies) by April 1, 2024
2. Review: municipal staff to review the registration and contact the applicant if further information is required
3. Confirmation: municipality to provide registration number to the rental property owner

Once the application has been submitted and reviewed, you will receive a registration number from the municipality that can be used when advertising your rental.

Under the new By-law R-400, Respecting Registration of Residential Rental Properties, rental property owners must register their property(ies) via an online form by April 1, 2024. After April 1, 2024, owners of any unregistered rental properties may face fines of up to $10,000.

An owner of a rental must have, and keep current, a maintenance plan for the rental. If an owner operates more than one rental building, a separate maintenance plan is required for each building containing rentals.

A maintenance plan includes a list of all the elements of the rental housing that are regulated by By-law M-200, Respecting Standards for Residential Occupancies (M-200), listing elements that are scheduled to be repaired or replaced.

By-law M-200 outlines the minimum standard to which residential buildings, including rentals, within the region must be maintained. By-law M-200 was recently amended to help clarify the requirements for safety-related maintenance items, such as internal doors, duct and vent inspection, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and emergency lighting.

Creating a comprehensive and updated maintenance plan will aid owners in proactively maintaining their property to help ensure the rental does not become uninhabitable or unhealthy. The maintenance plan is not required to be provided at the time of registration but must be made available on request.

Inspections are not required in order to be registered. Inspections will be conducted when suspected violations related to the By-law M-200, Respecting Standards for Residential Occupancies and By-law R-400, Respecting Registration of Residential Rental Properties are identified. Learn more about the By-law M-200 inspection process. 

Having your property registered under By-law M-200, Respecting Standards for Residential Occupancies does not serve as confirmation of compliance with other municipal, provincial or federal regulations. Rental property owners are expected to ensure their properties comply with all federal, provincial and municipal requirements.

The municipality’s Residential Rental Registry is different from the provincial Tourist Accommodations Registry. The Tourist Accommodations Registry requires landowners in Nova Scotia to register their rental property(ies) if they provide short-term accommodations for 28 days in a row or less, and this registration is required on an annual basis and is subject to application fees. Registration under the municipality’s By-law R-400 is a one-time registration with no fee to register.

Some details of the Residential Rental Registry will be made available to the public after April 1, 2024, providing a clearer picture of the rental landscape in the region and empowering renters to make more informed decisions about where to live.

Questions regarding By-law R-400, Respecting Registration of Residential Rental Properties and the Residential Rental Registry can be directed to 311.