Renting in Montreal: fed up tenants feel they're being overcharged
The housing crisis means many tenants feel they are being overcharged for rent since apartments are in such high demand.
A few banded together to make their voices heard but are fearful that speaking out could lead to eviction.
Along Bouchette Street in Côte-des-Neiges, basement parking garages have been converted into apartments.
"It doesn't seem like it's up to code. It doesn't seem very sanitary," said David McDuff of the grassroots community group Au combat chez soi, which has been encouraging tenants to work together.
"We try to do on-the-ground organizing directly with tenants to be able to bring them together and give them methods of communication, spaces where they can get together, and decide collectively on their living conditions."
Mackroc Corporation owns the buildings on Bouchette and did not respond to CTV News' request for comment.
McDuff says the owners don't want him around.
"They yell at us. They're very aggressive. They call the police on us when we try to have a meeting with the tenants," he said.
Bobby Bendahan has rented the same apartment in NDG for 13 and says it hasn't been peaceful.
"I've been subjected to all kinds of strange, weird, illegal treatments by my landlord. Constantly pursued, constantly harassed, mostly for me to leave so he can rent the apartment for a bit more," Bendahan said.
One tenant who didn't want her name published out of fear of reprisal says she is already facing retaliation from the landlord for standing up for her tenant rights.
"I learned through the years that it's because the arguments he brings forward are so ridiculous that they will not hold in court. So the last time I did show up to court, I said, no, I am showing up to court, and I won my case, smashingly," she said.
Another tenant who didn't want to be named says he's being overcharged but has no choice because he has nowhere else to go during this housing crisis.
"Before I moved there, it was worth less than $800. And now it's coming to be $1,300 and it's isn't fair because the apartment never received any maintenance, never received any modification. I took the apartment in the same condition as the people that lived there before," he said.
Bahaa Musa, a tenant and housing advocate, says that for vulnerable people, an eviction can be a death sentence.
"I've seen some people in his condition die on the street; I worked in a homeless shelter and saw a man with cirrhosis two days before he died," he said.
Musa wants the collective rights of tenants to be recognized.
"You start by filing individually. That means you send an individual warning letter to the landlord, even though you can use the same model through the letter and just have different people sign their own. And you say, here's the problem, solve the problem within 10 days, or I'm going to go to the tribunal for an order to do the work and a rent reduction," said housing rights advocate Arnold Bennett.
"There are many cases where there are deadlines and the deadline is what takes priority, not what some joker tells you on the phone."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6943621.1719510587!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Watch live: CNN Presidential Debate and Canadian pre- and post-debate analysis
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
'No additional flights will be cancelled': WestJet avoids strike as feds order binding arbitration
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
BREAKING Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud.
Marilyn Monroe's former Los Angeles home declared a historic monument to save it from demolition
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
AI regulation 'a start,' needs to 'have teeth': Hinton, godfather of AI, says
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.
Where do new Canadians come from? India and Philippines take top spots
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
2024 NBA Draft: Lakers select Bronny James, son of LeBron James, in second round
Bronny James — the oldest son of the NBA's all-time scoring leader and four-time champion — was drafted Thursday by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that his father has played for since 2018. Bronny James was taken with the No. 55 overall pick, deep in the second round and with only three picks remaining in this year's draft.