Rights and responsibilities of landlords

Landlords have a right to tenants who:

• pay rent on time
• follow the rules and terms of their lease
• respect the dignity and rights of other tenants and building staff
• conduct themselves as to not cause a nuisance or disturbance
• repair any damage they or their guests may cause
• maintain reasonable cleanliness of their rental unit and any items provided
• respect the health and safety regulations of the building and do not cause any health and safety risks to other tenants or the environment
• communicate needs for specific accommodations and cooperate in the accommodation process
• provide proper notice from when they are ending a lease

Landlords are responsible for:

• providing a copy of the signed lease agreement to the tenant(s)
• fulfilling the terms and conditions of the lease agreement
• providing a rental unit that is safe, clean, and fit to live in
• providing a rental unit that is well-maintained and meets all housing and building standards
• ensuring common areas that are safe and clean
• completing repairs and maintenance in a reasonable amount of time
• not of the supply of heat, water or electric power services to the premises, except in an emergency
• provide proper notice for terminations, entry, rent increases etc.
• respect the dignity and rights of tenants
• address nuisance and disturbance issues
• respect the health and safety regulations of the building
• submit security deposit payments to Service New Brunswick within 15 days of collection

Landlords of a room in a rooming house must provide locks on the doors and ensure they are maintained.

If while maintaining a mobile home site, the landlord causes damage to the mobile home or a structure placed by the tenant on the mobile home site, the landlord is responsible to repair the damage.

The Human Rights Act offers protection against denial of accommodation and protection against unfair terms and conditions of occupancy.

Landlords must not publish or display anything that are discriminatory to an individual or group based on a protected characteristic.

For example, a landlord who advertises a preference for tenants without children would violate the act, because the advertisement would infringe the rights of parents with children under the ground of family status.

Acts of exclusion or discrimination are sometimes concealed to deny prospective tenants at the application stage. For example, a landlord may claim an apartment is no longer for rent, when it is still available. 

Landlords are prohibited from including terms or conditions in a lease that restrict, or inconvenience persons protected under the Human Rights Act in their use or enjoyment of property. Terms or conditions of tenancy include, among other factors, rental rates, building maintenance, harassment or demeaning conduct and access to facilities.

For example, it is a violation of the act to charge higher rent from a tenant because they have a disability or identify with another ground of discrimination.