‘I will fight to the end’: This tenant is challenging a rent spike, urges others to follow

A man from N.B. is vowing to fight a spike to his rent, which he says is being introduced without proper notice. Chris Thompson is urging others to learn their rights.

Chris Thompson is prepared to fight to the end to contest what he says is a rental price increase with little notice – and he’s encouraging others across New Brunswick to do the same.

“If I have a court order, I’ll leave. But I will fight to the end,” he said.

“We need to care about our community and fight for each other.”

Thompson had just moved in with his girlfriend, whose full-year fixed-term ends Aug. 31, when he says they received a text from the landlady of the Fredericton duplex saying they’d have to fork over more money and start paying utilities come September — or leave.

Rent would go from $1,395 to $1,495 but they’d also have to start paying utilities, Thompson said. Because of the addition of utilities, he believes the total increase in monthly payments is above the consumer price index, which would entitle them to apply to have the increased cost spread out. Most importantly, however, is that an increase in rent requires six months’ notice.

Thompson alleges that the landlady argued that because it’s a fixed-term lease, they have to take her offer or leave it. Global News has attempted to contact the landlady but had not received a response by publication time. Even in a non-fixed-term lease, however, tenants can only be pushed out in specific circumstances.

A provincial spokesperson said fixed-term leases are “covered under the Residential Tenancies Act and are subject to all the same tenancy protections as non-fixed term leases.”

“The main difference in the tenancy is that the tenant and landlord are locked in until the end of the tenancy, as indicated on the lease. There is no notice required to terminate the tenancy at the end, because the end date is agreed upon when signing the lease.”