Proposed rules for mobile home parks in Halifax come as a relief to residents

One summer morning two years ago, Susan Doyle turned on the tap to run a bath – and was greeted with a splash of dark water.

“It was black as tar, the water. And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,'” Doyle said in a recent interview at her Woodbine Park mobile home community in Beaver Bank.

After 13 years of toiling through City Hall, a proposed Statute of Halifax would outline building requirements and service standards for so-called “land-rental communities” such as Woodbine Park.

According to a council staff report, a leasehold community is a form of housing where a resident owns their home but rents the land on which they stand from a local operator. Although historically known as mobile home parks, the report notes that modern manufactured housing has “advanced significantly” to include other types of housing as well.

There are currently 29 land tenancy communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality, with a total of 3,859 homes and capacity for an additional 441, the report said.

The ordinance amends or repeals existing rules around mobile home parks that haven’t been touched in decades, and addresses water testing, drainage, street maintenance, lighting and other issues.

‘Our water pipes break’

Doyle said she brought a cup of the black water to city hall that morning in July 2021, but was told the problem was at the end of Halifax Water or because pipes were being built on nearby city streets.

Nine days later, the landlord took action — after Doyle himself called in a Halifax Water technician, who found the water was fine to the point where the pipe entered the Woodbine Park property, ending their jurisdiction. Broken pipes were found in the park and once repaired, Doyle’s water returned to normal.

“No maintenance has been done on the pipes. So our water pipes are breaking. Our water is bad,” said Doyle.

“It’s very concerning, the water issue. So it will be a relief to know that our water is safe, or at least safer.”

Under the new regulation, operators would have to test the water at the tap every three months and share the results with residents. There will also be a new minimum water pressure and water systems with boiling water advice will be excluded.

The Springfield Estates land tenancy community in Middle Sackville is under pressure such advice since December 2021, so the new regulation requires the operator to address the issue in order to keep its license.

Heather Scott, the landlord of both Woodbine Park and Springfield Estates, did not respond to a request for comment. She has told CBC News in the past that it is company policy “not to participate in interviews or make statements with and to the media.”

Halifax employees consulted with land tenure residents and operators in January and February before drafting the proposed ordinance.

“What we heard time and time again from residents was – even if they feel like their water isn’t safe – that they were afraid to file a complaint because they fear retaliation from their landlord,” said chief planner Peter. Nightingale to councilors last Tuesday.

Flooding has also been a problem in recent years. Videos and photos from this winter show knee-deep water sloshing into people’s parked cars and park benches near the Woodbine Park playground.

“The flooding of people yards is like swamps, which affects the leveling of the building, throwing it off balance. Doors don’t open, things like that. You can’t go into your backyard unless you have hip waders on,” Doyle said.

The proposed regulation says that an operator must keep streets and driveways in good condition, free of potholes, loss of gravel or other surface or drainage problems. Stormwater systems must also be sufficient to divert rainfall away from streets, sidewalks, recreation areas and manufactured homes.

Community creates interest group

About two years ago, Lyle Mailman said he realized something had to be done.

Mailman grew up in Woodbine Park until the mid-1980s and still lives nearby in Beaver Bank. He said he would eventually like to move back to the park when he is older because it has a great sense of community and is one of the few affordable places in the area.

He and others like Doyle have banded together to create a non-profit organization in the Woodbine community to investigate gaps in existing statutes and tenancy law and share information so residents can better understand their rights .

“I saw the benefit of having someone who doesn’t live in the park,” Mailman said. “There may be a third party voice.”

Mailman and Doyle credited Area Councilman Lisa Blackburn for helping finally draft the bylaws more than a decade after Count. David Hendsbee and former Councilman Brad Johns got the ball rolling in 2010.

“To, you know, put in place a regulation that will improve people’s lives — that’s incredibly gratifying. That’s the whole reason I got into this game,” Blackburn said in an interview.

The proposed ordinance also includes building requirements for new or expanding land tenure communities, including that they be located in sites with good drainage, that 10 percent of the land be designated for recreational space, and that sewer and water systems must meet Halifax Water Specifications.

The bylaws are expected to go to council for a final vote later this summer. If successful, staff say there will be a three-month window for operators to make the necessary changes before having to apply for a new license to bring them into compliance.