Plante promises to protect tenants from renovations and abusive rent increases

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Projet Montréal leader Valérie Plante promised on Monday, if she is re-elected mayor, to introduce a certification program for large landlords to protect tenants from “renovations” and abusive rent increases.

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He said he would require owners of buildings with eight or more units to acquire a certification at a cost of $ 10 per unit, which must be renewed every five years.

The move would affect nearly 216,000 rental housing units in Montreal, he told reporters at Projet Montréal headquarters ahead of the last council meeting of his four-year term.

Plante said the vast majority of landlords are good landlords, but the certification process would protect tenants against those who use renovation as an excuse to evict tenants and implement abusive rent increases, as well as those whose buildings are unsanitary. and insecure.

“The vast majority of Montreal homeowners take care of their homes and fulfill their responsibilities, and we salute them,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is a minority of unscrupulous landlords who force us to take strong action to protect their tenants.”

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Under the certification program, landlords would be required to inspect their buildings to make sure they are up to municipal standards. The areas to be examined include common areas; electrical, heating and ventilation systems; fire protection; cleanliness and security; the condition of the facade; and building maintenance plans.

Landlords should also report the rents they charge for each unit. The city would create a municipal rent registry to prevent abusive rent increases when one tenant moves out and another moves out.

Building owners that do not meet the minimum standards would be forced to submit certification applications annually for three years, showing that they had corrected the situation.

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Owners who rent units without being certified will be subject to monthly penalties of up to $ 500 per unit.

Plante has long demanded that the Quebec government establish a provincial rental registry. He said he was taking matters into his own hands as the Legault government has not acted on it.

The measure would not require additional home inspectors, he said, as the responsibility for inspecting the buildings would lie with the owners.

A coalition of housing organizations welcomed the announcement, but expressed disappointment that the rental registration would only apply to buildings with eight or more units.

“What will happen to the other housing units that make up the majority of Montreal’s rental stock?” the Regroupement des comités logement et association de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), asked in a statement.

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RCLALQ, which has been asking for a rental registration for more than 35 years, called for the measure to be expanded to rental units in buildings of all sizes.

However, Benoit Ste-Marie, director of the Corporation des Propriétaires Immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ), which represents the owners, criticized the proposed measures, warning that the owners would convert their buildings for other purposes rather than compliance.

Rents in Montreal are already among the lowest in the world, he said, generating too little revenue to allow homeowners to renovate older buildings.

Mayoral candidate Denis Coderre also vowed on Monday to establish a rental registry and combat unsanitary housing by hiring more inspectors and requiring building inspections for residential structures that are 20 years old or older.

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