Renting with a pet in Halifax
The local picture
Halifax is a university city as well as a capital. Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s and Mount Saint Vincent universities all draw students into the rental market.
Nova Scotia law gives pet owners one clear advantage: no extra deposit. Everything a landlord takes on top of rent counts as the security deposit, which is capped at half a month’s rent, pets or no pets.
The law, which is the same everywhere in Nova Scotia
In Nova Scotia, no extra deposit for pets
Nova Scotia’s Residential Tenancies Act leaves pets to the lease and the landlord’s rules. A landlord must give you a copy of any rules before you sign (section 9A), and the province’s renting guide tells tenants who want a pet to check those rules first. A rule must be reasonable, apply to all tenants fairly and be clearly expressed.
Any money a landlord takes on top of rent is treated as a security deposit (section 12), and the total cannot be more than half a month’s rent. The province’s guide is plain that a landlord can’t charge an additional deposit for pets. Pets and tenancy law, province by province.
Disputes go to the Residential Tenancies Program.
The landlord’s rules, and when they can change
In Nova Scotia, pets can be dealt with in the landlord’s rules as well as in the lease. A landlord must give you a copy of the rules before you sign, and a rule must be reasonable, apply to all tenants in a fair manner and be clearly expressed.
Rules can be changed on four months’ notice before the anniversary of your lease, so a building that allows pets now could tighten its rules later. If that happens, check whether the new rule is reasonable and applied to everyone, and ask the Residential Tenancies Program if you think it is not.
Practical notes for Halifax
- Halifax Regional Municipality requires dogs over six months old to be licensed, every year or for life if the dog is microchipped.
- Dalhousie Legal Aid Service, in Halifax’s north end, gives tenants legal information and in some cases representation.
- The Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia offers legal information and lawyer referrals by phone, email and live chat.
- Disputes, including over the security deposit, go to the Residential Tenancies Program through an Application to Director.
What there is to buy
A letter, if you would like help with one. We write the pet request letter from your answers, for Nova Scotia, with a one-page pet resume to go with it: $35 on its own, or $55 with the certificate. Or copy the free letter template and write it yourself: it is the same kind of letter. Neither obliges a landlord to agree. We would rather you sent a good letter than no letter.
One payment, delivered by email. With the certificate and card, $55 for both. Prices are in US dollars. Any sales tax is calculated by Creem and shown at checkout before you pay.
Not a legal document. Canada ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official register of emotional support animals exists in Canada. It does not give you a legal right to keep a pet, to housing, or to access with your animal.
Other cities
Not a legal document. Canada ESA Register is a private service, not a government body, and no official register of emotional support animals exists in Canada. This page is general information about renting in Nova Scotia, not legal advice.