Housing: Montreal establishes a certification and a register of rents
The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante./Josie Desmarais/Métro
As of next year, owners of buildings with eight or more dwellings throughout the metropolitan area will have to complete a certification process requiring them to ensure the good condition of the place and to register in a rent register.
The mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, and the head of housing on the executive committee, Benoit Dorais, made the announcement on Tuesday morning.
The initiative, which aims to protect the affordability and quality of Montreal's aging rental stock, was a commitment of Projet Montréal.
“Thanks to this certification, we are carrying out a key commitment for our second term, which will help improve the living conditions of tenants, but also counter the growing phenomenon of renovations and abusive rent increases,” said Valérie Plante.
A certification for responsible-owners
With this “responsible landlord certification” project including a municipal rent register model, the City of Montreal wants to acquire an additional tool to intervene with negligent landlords. This is a first in Quebec.
As of the summer of 2023, the date on which the start of the first phase of the project is planned, the owners concerned will have to certify that each of their buildings is healthy and safe to obtain certification. In some cases, this may require recent professional reports as proof.
If the dwelling is deemed to be in poor condition, owners will have to commit to making the necessary corrections by submitting a repair plan. interview to get their certification. “It's a prevention tool that reverses the burden of proof, so that it belongs to the owners and not to the tenants,” said Valérie Plante.
In addition, they will have to disclose certain information for each accommodation. The public will thus be able to know the amount of the rent in force, the occupancy status, the size and the type of housing.
Each owner must obtain a certification for each building he owns. . He will then be certified as “responsible” when he has completed the process. The certification must be renewed every five years.
The amount of fines for a first offense will range from $250 to $625 for a natural person and from $500 to $1250 for a legal person. The maximum amount of fines is enacted under the cities and towns.
CORPIQ says it has not been consulted
The Corporation of Real Estate Owners of Quebec (CORPIQ) claims to have never been informed of the process of creating responsible owner certification by the City of Montreal.
This lack of consultation is disappointing to the non-profit organization, which brings together 30,000 owners and managers with nearly 500,000 rental units and condos. However, he recalls that he shares the objectives of providing a healthy environment and quality housing for all Montrealers.
“Having never had a presentation of the city on this new register, CORPIQ takes the time to analyze the details of the project before commenting on the substance. She hopes to receive soon, from the City of Montreal, all documentation relating to this project, ”we said in a press release.
CORPIQ will want to be heard during the public consultation that will take place next spring as part of the Standing Committee on Economic and Urban Development and Housing. The adoption of the by-law is then scheduled for the winter of 2023. The first phase should come into force in June 2023 for buildings with 100 units or more. Subsequent phases will be rolled out one year apart.
