Pauline Tramble, 67, her husband Charles, 85, and neighbor Tayfun Orkus, 83, all received notices from their landlord announcing that their apartments would be converted into Airbnb short-term rentals. They should leave, most likely this fall. “We were devastated, really shocked,” Pauline said. “You know, we really did not expect that.” Charles Tramble, 85, and his wife Pauline, 67, have lived in the same Fredericton apartment building for more than 30 years. They were asked to leave so that their unit could be converted into an Airbnb rental. (Ed Hunter / CBC News) The alerts came Monday, just three days after the New Brunswick government passed legislation to limit rent increases in the county and “protect tenants from unsubstantiated complaints.” Trump said she believed the new rules would help her and her husband stay in their apartment, but an exception to the law that allows tenants to leave if the building is to be “used outside of homes” has given way. for the landlord to terminate the lease. “I’m just out of my mind,” Trump said. “You know, 30 years. All the things we have to pack and I do not know. I just do not know where I am right now. It’s so shocking, you know?” The Trambles first came to light before Christmas last year when they received notice of a $ 675 monthly rental increase scheduled for April 1, following the sale of their building. At that time they paid $ 1,000 a month.
Tayfun Orkus is 83. In December he said that the 14 years he lived in his current building are the most he has ever left in one place. (Ed Hunter / CBC News) Other occupants of the building also received notices of significant increases, including Orkus, which they said would have to pay more $ 525 a month. “I can no longer live here because it is too expensive,” Orkus said at the time. His and Trambles’ story upset many, and within hours of the province becoming public, he took the unusual step of announcing an investigation into the increases. Soon, other seniors around New Brunswick began to share similar experiences with rising rents. Under pressure, the Higgs government reversed its opposition to rent ceilings and in March introduced a package of tenant-friendly reforms. The Trambles building is owned by DNV Properties Inc., a company run by Dragan and Neda Veselinovic.
The two sent an email to the Trambles on Monday with the subject “Letter of Courtesy” telling them that they should start looking elsewhere to live. “We will convert your unit into a short-term lease in the autumn of this year,” read the note, which was addressed to both owners.
Jennifer Taylor received a eviction notice on March 31, announcing that her new owner is converting her Hampton apartment into Airbnb accommodation from May 1. (Submitted by / Jennifer Taylor) “We wanted to let you know about our changes now before we send you a three-month formal notice to give you extra time to look for a place to live, as daylight saving time is easier to find for rent and we thought you would benefit more than knowing our plans earlier “ A woman who said it was Neda answered the company’s phone number on Tuesday, but said she was at work and could not speak. An email to DNV Properties requesting comment on the letter and the renovation plans was not returned. Patrick Donovan is another occupant of the building. He received a renovation notice from the owners during the spring and loses his apartment on July 1st. He has lined up a new place, but is worried about his biggest neighbors. “They are wonderful people,” said Donovan, who believes the province needs to do more to help elderly tenants for a long time. “It’s horrible what is happening to them. I hate to see them worry like that. There is no reason for them to worry that they will have a place to live in their retirement years.” The county’s Residential Tenancies Tribunal is looking into the situation, but in previous cases the county has approved the eviction of tenants for Airbnb-type conversions. New Brunswick Coalition for Tenant Rights lawyer Jael Duarte says that despite recent reforms, tenants need more protection than losing their homes. (Coalition for the rights of tenants) In April, residents of Hampton were forced to leave their apartments when the owner changed the “business model” of the building, after refusing to agree to increase rents above the county ceiling of 3.8 percent. At the time, the county said it was the owner’s right. “Under the law, landlords can terminate leases if they intend to convert the property to Airbnb, provided tenants are given due notice,” government spokesman Johanne Leblanc said in an email. Jael Duarte is the New Brunswick Coalition’s Tenant Rights lawyer and is proposing that the court look into the matter more closely.
New Brunswick classifies Airbnbs as “residential property”, which pays them a lower tax rate than commercial real estate such as hotels. Duarte said an argument could be made that Airbnbs are still residential and that changing an apartment to an apartment is not enough to justify forcing tenants. “The court could find that you are just renting otherwise,” Duarte said. “This will be the debate.” Pauline Tramble said her husband is in poor health. She is not sure that she will do well away from the neighborhood in which she has lived for more than 30 years and hopes that the court can do something .. “He is so used to this place. Moving us and him going to another place will be, I do not know, so confusing for him,” he said.