More Measures and Work Demanded to Help Unhoused Individuals

In the City of Montreal's third consultation on the Landlord Registry – an online registry which aims to hold Montreal landlords accountable -- different housing rights groups attended to weigh in on their thoughts of the registry for the city to take into consideration when putting together and implementing this registry which is set to be functioning by 2027.

There were five groups in attendance, including Comité Logement du Plateau Mont-Royal, Comité de Logement Ville-Marie, Corporation des Propriétaires Immobiliers du Quebec, Federation de l'Habitation Cooperative du Quebec and Vivre en Ville.

Juliette Côte-Turcotte, representative from Comité Logement du Plateau Mont-Royal (CLPMR) said CLPMR's biggest concern is rising rents and tenants being able to afford rent. As a result, she said, they often live in buildings with unsanitary conditions. Côte-Turcotte said CLPMR proposes to remove the Responsible Landlord regulation and to rather work on the system that is in place by facilitating the procedures for tenants living in unsanitary environments and to improve the system that handles complaints for living conditions. 

Benoit Ste-Marie, representative of Corporation des Propriétaires Immobiliers du Quebec also spoke about sanitary issues in rental apartments.

Ste-Marie said 50% of all unsanitary issues in accommodation of 8 units or more are due to the presence of rodents, cockroaches and bedbugs. He said the source of these problems is related to human activity, although not on purpose. He said if such a problem occurs, the owner has to call an exterminator, for which the collaboration of the tenant(s) is crucial, but can become the biggest obstacle. Ste-Marie said behavioural problems cause most issues between landlords and tenants.

Some complaints of the registry include that it will only be units of 8 or more and landlords will only have to document information every 5 years – which especially makes it difficult to track went when rent prices are increasing every month across the city.

Former municipal councilor Richard Ryan recommended expanding the application of the certification project to quadruplex housing and more, and possibly to all housing units – which would cover 100% of rental/housing units. He also recommended that landlords implement rent prices annually and for the city to request new powers from the province to handle rent control.