Group of Que. tenants threatening rent strike over controversial lease-transfer bill

There is a growing number of Quebec tenants who are threatening a rent strike if the province moves forward with its controversial housing legislation, Bill 31.

The bill, which was introduced in June, would put a stop to lease transfers as we know it. The existing lease transfer system allows tenants to give their lease to another prospective tenant. The building owner can stop the transfer, but only if there is a “serious reason.”

Lease transferring or trading is a commonly used mechanism in Quebec’s rental world. Housing advocates see it as a means to keep landlords from raising rents in a province that is becoming increasingly unaffordable for lower-income renters.

Bill 31 is still being negotiated. If it’s passed as-is, landlords would be able to stop transfers much more easily. Some housing advocates believe that will only lead to more expensive apartments, and that it’s time to push back.

"We're balancing the cost of inaction versus the cost of bold action," said Sarah Toews, an organizer with the Montreal Autonomous Tenants’ Union. The union wants to hold a rent strike – withholding monthly payments – if the government doesn’t back down.

So far, 200 people have signed on. If they garner enough support, the strike will begin on Nov. 1, coinciding with Bill 31 hearings.

"This is a rent strike of 5,000 tenants. People sign the pledge online to go on strike so long as 5,000 other tenants go on strike,” she said. “The idea is we can protect each other with this critical mass.”

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A BIG RISK?

Margaret van Nooten, a housing rights advocate with Project Genesis, says people should be aware of the risks involved in a rent strike.

Failure to pay rent is one of the only reasons a property owner can legally evict a tenant.

"I'm worried about tenants who will have a file opened against them at the tribunal possibly," she said, adding that a record at the tribunal can have long-lasting effects.

"Once your name is on record as having a case opened against you, you can't ever erase that,” she said. “In the market that we see right now. That might mean that you'll never find housing in Quebec again.”

Toews believes there's power in numbers, and says striking tenants plan to pay back the missed rent eventually

"Historically, most rent strikes have lasted more than a month, and we can hold evictions off through collective action, through the clogging of tribunals," she said.