Tenants would lose their accommodation due to a lack of staff at the TAL
Due to a breakdown in services linked to a lack of staff at the Administrative Court of housing (TAL), tenants are currently losing their housing, support the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenants du Québec (RCLALQ) and the Syndicat de la service publique et parapublique du Québec (SFPQ). Allegations denied by the TAL.
The number of people in charge of information in the various offices of the TAL has decreased by 9% over the past five years, reported in an article in the Journal de Montréal published Monday morning. In the midst of a housing crisis, staff turnover at TAL is also worrying, it says.
Since the pandemic, the TAL has introduced a mandatory online appointment policy in order to comply with health standards. This measure would serve today to make up for the lack of personnel. The TAL telephone line is often unreachable and several people are hung up on the line,” notes the general president of the SFPQ, Christian Daigle.
Delays “catastrophic”
The average waiting time to obtain an appointment is 13 days, and can exceed 20 days for a third of TAL offices and service points, argue the RCLACQ and the SFPQ.
“Given that tenants generally have only 30 days to respond to a notice from their landlord, the situation is catastrophic,” said RCLALQ spokesperson Martin Blanchard.
The RCLALQ and the SFPQ are of the opinion that this mismanagement of the TAL causes serious harm to tenants who do not always have the necessary skills or easy access to technological tools or a credit card to do the opening of the opening. an online file.
TAL denies allegations
For its part, the TAL denies the allegations, saying that its intelligence services are fully accessible. “Since April 1, 2022, the information service has granted 63,841 interviews out of a possible 75 303 open time slots for citizens. More than 11 460 appointments have been canceled by citizens, thus making as many consultations without an appointment possible”, we support by email.
The court says it finds that the meeting slots are often stormed when they open by citizens who then cancel their reservations. This situation is currently under analysis.
“The argument that tenants lose their homes because they do not have access to the TAL within the 30-day period provided for bringing an action is not viable. , since the TAL receives without an appointment anyone who comes to file an urgent request in order to avoid, precisely, the loss of rights”, we continue.
However, the office of Matane n&rsquo ;is only open one day a month, while in Beauce, the point of service has no availability for on-site interviews, says the general president of the SFPQ, Christian Daigle.
