At the beginning of the COVID-19 restrictions, the Government of Saskatchewan issued a suspension on evictions of tenants in rental properties, the idea being to ensure that anyone whose income was impacted would not find themselves without a home.

After several months of the moratorium, Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan announced that, as of August 4, the suspension on tenant evictions would be lifted. The Office of Residential Tenancies will once again be able to accept applications for non-critical evictions.

“When the pandemic began, we wanted to ensure tenants facing hardship as a result of COVID-19 were able to take the necessary social-distancing measures,” Don Morgan said.  “With the success of flattening the curve in Saskatchewan, we believe it’s appropriate to lift the moratorium on non-urgent evictions.”

A concern through the reinstatement is that evictions will be widespread and indiscriminate. Not so says the Saskatchewan Landlords Association. The organization contends that eviction hearings are necessary in the cases where tenants have made no effort to connect with landlords and make arrangements for deferrals or alternative payments. 

“We are quite pleased to have a date set by the provincial government to lift the suspension of evictions,” said Director of the Landlords Association, Cameron Choquette, “Because this will allow landlords to get back to normal business operations and continue to provide housing for the people of Saskatchewan.”

Choquette acknowledges that most tenants over the past five months have done an excellent job of working toward solutions with their landlords. The concern is with tenants who have been taking advantage of the situation and deliberately withholding rent without addressing concerns.

“If tenants can communicate in good faith about their financial situation and work with their landlord, then we’re encouraging as much communication as possible.”

The situation has created a $30 million shortfall for the rental industry. With some landlords tens of thousands in arrears across their portfolios, the ripple effect extends from the current state of rental properties to the potential market impacts down the road. 

“It impacts the ability to do preventative maintenance,” explained Choquette, “To ensure things are clean and safe, but it also jeopardizes the affordability of rental housing into the future. If landlords are not able to recoup the losses over the last five months of the pandemic, they may be forced to sell their properties or be forced to raise rents. This impacts the affordability and supply of rental housing in Saskatchewan.”

Once tenancy hearings begin again, they will be conducted by phone and email. All the notice times and procedures through the Office of Residential Tenancies will be adhered to. Because of the presumed backlog of cases, it may take the system considerable time to work through.