Mayors of major Quebec cities call for a rent registry

Fourteen Quebec mayors are calling on the Quebec government to adopt a public, mandatory and universal rent registry.

Their letter, which includes the signatures of the mayors of Quebec City, Gatineau, Laval, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, explains that the current housing crisis is crushing more and more people, and that the solution of a mandatory registry would have a major impact on halting rent inflation and restoring balance.

Tenants' rights organisations have long been calling for the introduction of a registry and compulsory rent control. These include the Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) and the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ).

In their view, with a rent registry, tenants would have the information they need to refuse an abusive rent increase since they would know the price paid by former tenants.

The mayors who signed the letter, made public on Wednesday, point out that the housing crisis in Quebec is having a devastating impact on society as a whole. They add that Bill 31, which would modify the assignment of leases, could result in a further increase in rents in Quebec.

They write that by adopting a rent registry, the Quebec government would make it easier to negotiate prices downwards in the rental market. They believe that a registry would help to curb property inflation resulting from rising rents.

The mayors add that municipalities would then be able to monitor changes in their housing stock in real-time and better target investment in the residential market.

Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau responded Wednesday saying she had already announced changes to Quebec's housing law, which "had not been touched for 40 years," adding she was neither for nor against a registry.

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"We're going to approach the question very rigorously, we're going to listen to everyone, and then we're going to decide, after listening to everyone, what the best alternative is to create an environment that's favorable for everyone, for tenants and for landlords, which we really need, and for builders, because we need more housing," she said.

The Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ) recently voiced its disapproval of the establishment of a rent registry. The organization believes that publishing rent prices will have no positive effect on the housing crisis, as it will not increase supply.

CORPIQ added that publicizing rents could have a facilitating effect for landlords tempted by the renovation phenomenon.

The other signatories of the letter are the mayors of Granby, Carleton-sur-Mer, Mascouche, Nicolet, Rimouski, Saguenay, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Terrebonne.

Benoit Dorais, mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough, vice-chairman of the Executive Council and responsible for housing at the City of Montreal, also signed the letter.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 28, 2023.