Discrimination & Human Rights

Based on the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, a landlord cannot refuse to rent to you because of:

  • Age

  • Gender

  • Sexual orientation

  • Marital or family status

  • If you are pregnant or have kids

  • Religion, creed, or political beliefs

  • Race, colour, or ethnic, aboriginal, or national origin

  • Physical or mental disabilities (including disabilities that require a service dog)

  • Source of income (including welfare, disability, CPP, child support, etc.)

  • Disease or illness (like AIDS or HIV)

A landlord can ask you how much money you make. A landlord can refuse to rent to you if they think your income isn’t high enough or steady enough to pay rent. A landlord cannot refuse to rent to you because of where your income comes from.

  • Landlords do discriminate based on all or any of these things, both explicitly and implicitly. If a landlord has multiple people interested in a unit, they can choose who they want to rent to and can use this as a chance to discriminate against people based on these factors. Challenging or proving this discrimination can be very difficult.

    • Give a landlord phone numbers of people who seem responsible to speak out in support of your application.

    • Be creative with references if you need to, but do not lie.

    • If you suspect a landlord is discriminating against you, you can file a complaint with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. Information about this process is detailed in Human Rights Commission.

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