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Montreal to set up rental building registry to crack down on bad landlords

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With Montreal's home vacancy rate near record lows and housing prices at record highs, Mayor Valerie Plante is making good on a campaign promise to get tough on bad landlords.

"Ultimately, our goal is to protect tenants more," she said.

The new rental building registry will force landlords to declare if the building has structural issues, mould or vermin.

Landlords would also have to commit to timelines for repairs, and indicate how much rent they're charging.

There could also be fines for not complying.

"It can be between $250-500 per day, per unit," said Plante.

The registry targets buildings of eight units and more, which is about a third of all Montreal rentals.

Some housing groups, however, are criticizing the plan saying it leaves out many landlords, and they also point out that the city doesn't have enough inspectors to properly evaluate the state of buildings.

"It feels like the accreditation based on the auto-evaluation of the landlord, so they auto-report themselves," said Marion Duval, spokesperson for the Coalition of Housing Committees and Tenants Associations of Quebec (RCLALQ).

Others have pointed to the cost of registering which could $1,000 for larger buildings.

The opposition at city hall worries landlords will pass the cost down to the tenants.

"If you follow the rule of the market when you have a lot of pressure on the market the prices will increase for sure," said Aref Salem of opposition party Ensemble Montreal.

The landlords' association refused to comment on the plan saying they were never consulted and are studying the proposal.

Plante said public consultations on the registry will be forthcoming.

If all goes according to schedule, the entire registry will be in place in five years. 

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