With Quebec moving day just around the corner, Montrealers are getting set to move July 1, but this year’s housing hunt is particularly difficult for new immigrants.
Housing advocates say many immigrants who can’t do a credit check, can’t find a job due to the COVID-19 crisis, and struggle with many other realities in the city are being taken advantage of by building owners because they are unaware of the law.
“There are some landlords, who ask for a big deposit,” said Sandy Wodarka of the Organisation d’Education et d’information Logement de Cote-des Neiges.
Wodarka said discrimination is a big problem for immigrants looking to rent.
“They face racial discrimination, religious discrimination,” she said. “They face a lot of discrimination (and) they have families.”
Association des Proprietaires du Quebec president Martin Messier represents landlords and believes the root of the problem is economic, and owners cannot be expected to assume all the risk for low-income tenants.
“If it’s revenue based, it might be assumed as racism,” he said. “I truly hope it’s not the case because in my view and by my recommendations, there’s no place for such things in a tenant/landlord world.”
Messier added that there are many good reasons to rent to new immigrants, such as their tendency to stay in apartments longer.
