Bill 25 - An Act to Amend The Residential Tenancies Act

BILL 25

An Act to Amend The Residential Tenancies Act

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick, enacts as follows:

1 Subsection 5(3) of the French version of The Residential Tenancies Act, chapter R-10.2 of the Acts of New Brunswick, 1975, is repealed and the following is substituted:

5( 3) Lorsqu’il reçoit l’avis prévu au paragraphe (2) ou est informé tel que le prévoit le paragraphe (2.1), le médiateur des loyers peut mener une enquête et inspecter les locaux, puis, ayant pris l’une ou l’autre de ces mesures ou les deux, exiger du locataire qu’il s’acquitte de ses obligations dans le délai que le médiateur des loyers impartit.

2 Section 6 of the French version of the Act is amended

(a) by repealing subsection (3) and substituting the following:

6( 3) Lorsqu’il reçoit l’avis prévu au paragraphe (2) ou est informé tel que le prévoit le paragraphe (2.1), le médiateur des loyers peut mener une enquête et inspecter les locaux, puis, ayant pris l’une ou l’autre de ces mesures ou les deux, exiger du propriétaire, sous réserve des paragraphes (6.4) et (8), qu’il s’acquitte de ses obligations dans le délai que le médiateur des loyers impartit.

(b) by repealing subsection (4.1) and substituting the following:

6( 4.1) En cas d’urgence et par dérogation au paragraphe (3), le médiateur des loyers peut exécuter les obligations du propriétaire, lorsque sont réunies les conditions suivantes :

(a) il a reçu l’avis prévu au paragraphe (2) ou est informé tel que le prévoit le paragraphe (2.1);

(b) il a mené l’enquête prévue au paragraphe (3);

(c) il ne peut joindre le propriétaire pour l’aviser de la violation de ses obligations et de l’existence de l’état d’urgence.

6( 8) Le médiateur des loyers peut signifier au locataire un avis de congé résiliant la location selon les modalités prévues par règlement lorsque sont réunies les conditions suivantes :

a) pour cause de destruction des locaux ou pour tout autre motif, le propriétaire en présente la demande au médiateur des loyers conformément aux règlements;

b) le propriétaire signifie copie de cette demande au locataire;

c) le médiateur juge que le motif le justifie raisonnablement.

3 Subsection 8(10) of the French version of the Act is repealed and the following is substituted:

8( 10) Le médiateur des loyers est tenu de délivrer au propriétaire un certificat attestant qu’il détient le montant y indiqué à titre de dépôt de garantie pour les locaux y désignés dans l’une quelconque des circonstances suivantes :

a) le locataire dépose une somme entre ses mains conformément au paragraphe (8);

b) le propriétaire ou une autre personne lui remet une somme conformément au paragraphe (7.1) ou (7.2), au paragraphe 8.011(1) ou à l’article 8.02;

c) le médiateur des loyers :

( i) d’une part, détermine qu’il y a lieu d’approuver la demande présentée en vertu du paragraphe (9) après avoir enquêté sur la probabilité d’une réclamation à l’égard du montant alors crédité au compte du locataire,

( ii) d’autre part, reçoit du locataire une somme dont le montant est égal à la différence établie entre le dépôt de garantie que prévoit le bail et le solde figurant au compte du locataire ouvert en application du paragraphe (6).

4 Section 25 of the Act is repealed and the following is substituted:

Methods of service

25( 1) Subject to subsection (2), (3), (4) or (7), a notice, process or document to be served by or on a landlord or a tenant is sufficiently served if

(a) delivered personally,

(b) sent by ordinary mail

( i) to the landlord at the address given in the lease or to the address posted under the provisions of subsection (8),

( ii) to the tenant to the address of the premises, or

( iii) to a residential tenancies officer to the address of his or her office, or

( i) to the landlord to the electronic address given in the lease,

( ii) to the tenant to the electronic address given in the lease, or

( iii) to a residential tenancies officer to the electronic address of the Residential Tenancies Tribunal.

25( 2) A notice, process or document to be served by a tenant on a landlord is sufficiently served

(a) by delivering it personally to an agent of the landlord, if the landlord has posted or filed with the residential tenancies officer under subsection (8) the legal name of the agent of the landlord,

(b) by delivering it personally to any adult person who apparently resides with the landlord or to a person at the landlord’s place of business who appears to be in control of or to be managing the place of business,

(d) by sending it by electronic transmission to the landlord to the electronic address given by the landlord and used by the landlord for purposes of communicating with the tenant during the tenancy agreement, or

(e) if demised premises are located in a building containing multiple premises, by placing the notice, process or document in a mailbox that has been placed in a conspicuous place in the building by the landlord for the purposes of allowing tenants to deposit a notice, process or document to be served on the landlord.

25( 3) If there is an assignment by a tenant of a portion of the remaining term of the lease, for the purposes of subsection 13(2.2), a notice shall be sufficiently served to the assignor during the period of assignment if sent

(a) by ordinary mail to the address provided by the assignor to the landlord for the period of the assignment,

(b) by ordinary mail to the address of the premises if the assignor has not provided the landlord with an address for the period of the assignment, or

(c) by electronic transmission to the electronic address provided by the assignor to the landlord for the period of the assignment.

25( 4) A notice, process or document shall be sufficiently served

(a) on a landlord who has given a fax number in the lease or has posted or filed a fax number as part of an address for service for the purposes of subsection (8) if a facsimile of the notice, process or document is transmitted to the landlord at that fax number,

(b) on a landlord who has given an electronic address in the lease for service if an electronic transmission of the notice, process or document is transmitted to the landlord at that electronic address,

(c) on a residential tenancies officer if a facsimile of the notice, process or document is transmitted to the residential tenancies officer at the fax number at his or her office, or

(d) on a residential tenancies officer if an electronic transmission of the notice, process or document is transmitted to the residential tenancies officer at the electronic address of his or her office.

25( 5) If a notice, process or document is sent by mail, it is deemed to have been served on the third day after the date of mailing.

25( 6) If a notice, process or document is sent by electronic transmission, it is deemed to have been served on the date the notice, process or document was sent.

25( 7) If a notice cannot be delivered personally to a tenant by reason of his or her absence from the premises or by reason of his or her evading service, the notice may be served on the tenant

(a) by delivering it personally to an adult person who apparently resides with the tenant,

(b) by posting it in a conspicuous place on some part of the premises or a door leading to the premises,

(d) by sending it by electronic transmission to the tenant to the electronic address given by the tenant in the lease and used by the landlord for purposes of communicating with the tenant during the tenancy agreement,

(e) by placing the notice under the door of the premises, or

(f) by placing the notice in the mailbox for the premises.

25( 8) If demised premises are located in a building containing multiple premises and the landlord does not reside in the building, the landlord shall post conspicuously and maintain posted within the building or shall file with a residential tenancies officer the legal name of the landlord or his or her agent and an address for service and a notice is sufficiently served if delivered or mailed to the address posted or filed and any proceeding taken by or on behalf of a tenant may be commenced against the landlord in the name posted or filed.

25( 9) A landlord may post or file a fax number as part of an address for service for the purposes of subsection (8).

25( 10) If an electronic address provided by a tenant or a landlord for the purposes of service changes, the tenant or landlord, as the case may be, shall provide the other party with the new address without delay, and the electronic address provided in the lease shall remain in effect until the new electronic address is provided.

Commencement

5 This Act or any provision of it comes into force on a day or days to be fixed by proclamation.