Hundreds of Nova Scotians are on hidden bad tenant lists on Facebook

[LindaH]

Renters in Nova Scotia are facing a shortage of affordable homes amid stiff competition, often with children and pets in tow.

But there might be another reason why an application gets turned down.

In various Facebook groups, some hidden and some public, landlords swap photos and names of tenants with whom they've had bad experiences. Advocates have flagged at least two 'bad tenant' lists with hundreds of names in such groups.

"A landlord could easily put something up there just for a sake of a petty vengeance," said Fabian Donovan, a member of Nova Scotia ACORN, an organization that advocates for people with low to moderate incomes. Donovan is a renter in Halifax.

"And once it's out there, it cannot be taken back."

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Such lists are concerning for advocates, legal experts and property owner associations. But some landlords say they're forced to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves.

Earlier this month, N.S. ACORN launched a campaign highlighting screenshots of posts they'd gathered from the hidden "Landlords Unite" Facebook group over the past year and a half.


Fabian Donovan, a member of Nova Scotia ACORN, says bad tenant lists on landlord groups need to be taken down. (Fabian Donovan)
The Nova Scotia chapter said its membership in the Facebook group allowed them to see various files, including a "Do Not Rent" list that had 256 names as of Aug. 21.

They said names were added to this list for various reasons, including anti-landlord social media posts or replying rudely to rental listings.

Another list with nearly 3,200 names was compiled on a hidden Facebook group called "Amherst Landlord Associates," ACORN said, including some names pulled from police records.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-sco ... -1.6159948

[FinalTenantJustice]

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