Can legal action be taken if Canadian Government Housing increases rent unfairly towards a mentally ill family member? PLEASE HELP.?

Question

I am a friend of this family and need answers.

So a Canadian Government housing landlord (Alberta) decided to increase a 5 person (1 parent 4 kids) household of 3 bedroom home rent because they didn't believe no one was working at that time, and have the family suffer from lack of food stress due to the rent increase. They were only receiving $800 per month and having to pay $500 rent. (there is a hospital bill for proof)

They don't question why one of the adult kids isn't working but automatically increase rent even when they tell them they aren't.This now adult offspring has been dealing with serious mental health issues that disabled him from daily activities such as leaving home and finding work. They didn't even ask why an adult was not working, but unjustly sad he was working and was lying. when he wasn't. He didnt even have a bank account. No one did at that time but the parent.

Now that adult has found work and its that time of the year the housing company wants to know who is working in each household for possible rent increase.

Is it legal for the government housing to do this? Can the adult with mental illness stand up for his rights to declare no rent increase due to his mental state and unfair treatment of the previous year when he wasnt even working?

Answer 1

I cannot comment on this case because I'm not familiar with government subsidized housing rules. But what I can tell you is that in most cases, the landlord has the majority of the power to control rental increases, but they do generally have a maximum they can raise each year. The tenant can protest (in writing) the rental increase and negotiate a lower amount, or you can (usually) bring any disputes before the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service, or the provincial court.



But in ALL cases, do NOT withhold payment of the rent. That is one thing that can get you evicted more quickly than anything else. The rental review boards will almost always side with the landlord in those cases.



Your friend needs to consult with a lawyer who specializes in this type of issue. If they are on a limited budget, I'd check and see if there are any real estate lawyers that offer some sort of pro bono work.

Answer 2

Does he have any documents that shows he mental issues prevented him from working?>

Answer 3

Of course. The Provincial government (who may run the housing, if the city doesn't - the Feds don't get involved in Social Housing) can raise the rents anytime they want, subject to the laws in that province. $500 rent for a 3 bedroom house is amazingly low as it is. It could easily be triple that, or more. As the adult in question is working now, what is the problem?

Answer 4

You have got to to be kidding! He doesn't have to tell you people squat. You are not entitled to anything except the discount that the government offers. The landlord has every right to raise the rent. And, the adult is getting exactly what he/she deserves. She had no business having FOUR children when she can't afford them. She is already being subsidized by everybody else. She needs to get off her *ss and work more hours to support her family or move to a less expensive place to live. Probably both would be a good move. The only legal action I see is eviction proceedings to evict all of you if you don't pay the new amount due.