Montreal vows to ramp up rental inspections under new 'Responsible Landlord' program
The City of Montreal is promising to carry out more inspections of rental housing units to identify unsafe and unsanitary conditions in residential buildings under a new 'Responsible Landlord' program.
As affordable rental units become harder to find in Montreal, some tenants may find themselves stuck in unhealthy living conditions.
"Every time we hear a story about someone or a family being stuck in a non-sanitary apartment it breaks our heart. Like for us, it's terrible," Mayor Valerie Plante said Wednesday as she announced the new program.
The city says it hopes to change that. The new initiative targets building owners who aren't pulling their weight. Inspectors from the city's housing department and the boroughs are starting with buildings with more than 100 units.
Executive committee vice-chair Benoit Dorais says where there are clear problems inspectors will do a blitz inspection of the entire building.
"All together we will inspect 10,000 apartments in 2024," Dorais said.
Inspectors will outline problems that need to be fixed, from unsafe balconies to toxic mould and even pest infestations. Owners who don't comply can face hefty fines of between $500 and $10,000 dollars.
"We can give them fines and contact their financial institution if they don't follow up with the grid and the different things we said they should do," Plante added.
That means lenders and insurers may be alerted when buildings are in poor condition.
The city says it has added two more inspectors for a total of 18 but the opposition says that's not enough to meet the demand.
"When we take a look at the numbers with the inspectors that we have right now at the City of Montreal, it would take 60 years only to inspect the outside of the building of six units and more within the City of Montreal. So clearly there is a problem," said Julien Henault-Ratelle, the City Hall opposition housing critic.
The city says the program will also mean they'll have data on rental units in the city.
"And some of the landlords that we're keeping our eyes on," Plante said, though she adds the vast majority of building owners are doing a good job.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Weight-loss drug Wegovy available in Canada starting May 6
The makers of Ozempic say their weight-loss drug Wegovy will be available to patients in Canada starting Monday.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Goring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
NEW A mother's hopes to free her son from a Syrian prison is revitalized by a new human rights report
Just days before the seventh anniversary of the day Jack Letts was thrown in prison with thousands of suspected ISIS fighters, his mother, Sally Lane, delivered a small stack of envelopes to the headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa.
NEW Companies letting customers opt out of Mother's Day ads
In an effort to balance the profitability of Mother's Day with the pain it causes some people, some brands are offering customers the choice to opt out of Mother's Day email advertising.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.
Concerns about Plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall Plexiglass barriers.
NEW Facial reconstruction reveals what a 40-something Neanderthal woman may have looked like
Scientists studying a Neanderthal woman's remains have painstakingly pieced together her skull from 200 bone fragments to understand what she may have looked like.
Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges
Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.