Rent in Quebec will keep going up

Rent hikes are expected to ease across Canada in the next few years — except in Quebec.

A recent Desjardins report shows Quebec is the only province in the country where rents are expected to rise.

Margaret Van Nooten of housing committee Project Genesis said it’s “very worrisome” to see.

The increase is mainly due to the province's rent control guidelines. Last year, the housing tribunal (TAL) recommended a four per cent rent increase on certain homes, marking it as the biggest rise in the last 30 years for buildings more than five-years-old.

But Van Nooten says the TAL isn’t the issue.

“There are very few households that actually have their rents set at the tribunal,” she said.

The problem is that rents significantly increase when a new tenant moves in, she added.

“That's why there's such an incentive for landlords right now to get rid of tenants who pay below market rent,” said Van Nooten, who wants stronger rent control measures.

Martin Messier of Quebec’s Landlords Association said most property owners are just trying to keep up with costs.

“We understand that it is also hard for a lot of tenants. Everything increases for everyone,” he said.

Rent in Montreal is still lower than those in Toronto or Vancouver, said Messier, who maintains that most rent increases are justified.

“If you want to make sure that you're in a building where they're providing good quality of services, maintenance, it's not right to think that you will pay the lowest rent in Montreal. It doesn't work that way,” he said.

But Van Nooten said that, at this rate, the city won’t stay affordable. If rents don’t stop increasing, the city’s housing crisis will only get worse.

“Every week we’re seeing people become homeless,” she said.