Weekend deck collapse raises questions of tenant safety, apartment inspection standards

Questions are being raised about apartment safety standards and tenant protection after a balcony collapsed on the weekend, sending six students to hospital.

CEO of the Nova Scotia Home Builders Association, Paul Pettipas, said the Brussels St. apartment deck was poorly made and it was rotting away before it crashed down early Saturday morning.

“It had a very, very ill-designed system underneath the deck to hold it into the house,” he said. “It was just a poorly designed deck. I’m curious if an engineer’s stamp was ever obtained.”

He said he spoke with neighbors, who said the landlord collects over $12,000 per month in rent.

“If you’re making that much money off a unit, shouldn’t you be able to spend some money to make sure that deck is safe?”

Pettipas said it’s the owners’ responsibility to have their apartment or home up to safety standards, and said it’s only a matter of time before something really tragic happens.

“One of the next big ones,” he said, “I think someone’s going to die.”

Coun. Jennifer Watts said residents need to be proactive, too.

“I think, for tenants in buildings, if there’s a concern, they should address that with their landlord,” she said.

According to Halifax Regional Police, the apartment owner was contacted and interviewed, and they are still investigating the accident.

Pettipas said, if the owner isn’t criminally charged, he should be “fined a huge amount by the municipality.”

“If you don’t make it hurt, then we’re going to see more of this,” he said.