A N.B. mother says she can’t find housing because she has a child

A single mother living in New Brunswick says property owners in the area have denied her rental applications because she has a child.

A single mother living in New Brunswick says property owners in the area have denied her rental applications because she has a child.

Melanie Centis, who lives in Moncton, said she began searching for available apartments after deciding to sell her five-bedroom home once her three adult children moved out. She said she no longer needed the space and was ready for a change.

“I just decided that selling would be an option for me now and that I’d love to rent. I figured renting would be a great option,” she said, adding that a growing amount of maintenance required on her home was beginning to stretch her budget and was another motivating factor in the move.

“It was a lot of work for me to do on my own.”

Centis said most companies requested information about her living situation before allowing her to come and view a unit. She said whenever she’d mention that she had a six-year-old child, the conversation would abruptly end.

“As soon as I did mention that I have a young child, I did have to explain that she is quiet,” she continued.

“I never got a response back after that.”

Centis said many rental companies have told her that tenants with children are only allowed access to units on the first floor. She said she’s applied to more than 100 rentals in the past few months and did about 10 viewings last week but still hasn’t had any luck.