Outcries against renoviction, rent hikes
Some MNAs and councillors are speaking up against renoviction, but, as Aurélie Lanctôt says in this Le Devoir column, the CAQ is in denial of problems with the rental market.
Not surprisingly, landlords are against the proposed rental registry. This is exactly the same as bosses not wanting their employees not to discuss their salaries. In fact, exchanging information is always the first step to pushing back.
steph 19:51 on 2021-04-23 Permalink
The registry could also help with problem tenants. It’s a two way streeet.
Ephraim 22:12 on 2021-04-23 Permalink
@steph – But they won’t allow landlords (legally) to rate tenants. It’s one of the problems in the system. The only bow to landlords is, if you get a judgement, the judgement is good for 30 years, but then you need to hire a bailiff that you pay for and find them, and then garnish their wages and then they quit the job because they don’t want to pay it and you have to start all over again.
The system needs a number of serious repairs. Ask anyone who’s wanted to have a pet in an apartment, any landlord not being paid or tenants dealing with noise, smoke, smell problems, etc.
Bill Binns 09:23 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
When you look into being a landlord in this town as a business, it’s almost comically dangerous. It’s the only business I know of where you can be forced by law to give your product away for an indefinite amount of time. It’s very Russian Roulette. You just have to hope you don’t move someone in who decides on month 2 that they have better things to spend their money on than rent. Of course there are no corresponding laws that protect landlords from foreclosure based on sad stories.
We have built a system where the only people brave enough to get involved in the rental market (most especially at the lower end of the rental market) are those who are willing to use sleazy tools like renoviction to manage risk. Renoviction is one of the very few tools available and even that can take a year or more.
Kate 10:20 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
Renoviction has nothing to do with delinquent tenants, Bill Binns. People who have paid on the nail for years can still get renovicted. It’s not a question of getting rid of people who can’t or won’t pay, but of getting people out that landlords feel are not paying enough.
You can see how tenants may feel that their diligence means nothing when it comes to being turfed out like this.
Tim S. 12:54 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
I always though Quebec rental laws were a great example of balance rather than moderation. Any given rule seems to go all the way in favour of either the landlord or tenant, with not much compromise. On one hand, it’s impossible to break a lease before the year is up, even after death the estate is still responsible (I think – I don’t have my lease close at hand), which is to the landlord’s advantage. On the other, it’s not easy to evict tenants. So on and so forth.
Ephraim 19:50 on 2021-04-24 Permalink
@Time S. The estate is limited to one month if the person is in an RPA. But there is the 3 sublet rule… you try to get approval of 3 different sublets after the third refusal, you can petition to have the lease broken.