Tenants call for rent control, landlords call for end to lease transfers
Verdun residents took to the streets Sunday to protest rising rent prices — a move that comes as landlords ask the province to abolish lease transfers.
Gathered outside the Verdun metro station, protestors demanded rent control, which would cap the amount landlords can increase rent.
“What this would mean is that you could see what previous tenants were paying, and this would actually hold landlords accountable and protect tenants in tangible ways,” said Olivia Dumas of the Coalition of Housing and Tenant Associations Committees of Quebec (RCLALQ).
Some protestors say they were pushed out of the neighbourhood because of soaring prices.
“We want a city that is here to welcome everyone, not just people who are wealthy enough to pay $2,000 for a two-bedroom apartment,” one attendee told CTV News.
But as the cost-of-living increases and Montreal’s skyline fills with more new condo developments, landlords are pushing back.
Martin Messier, president of the Quebec Landlords Association (QLA), says the approved rent increases aren’t enough to keep up with demand.
“Let’s say I re-do a roof: I’d have to wait 50 years,” he said.
Lease transfers — when a tenant leaves their unit early and transfers their lease to someone else — are a longstanding point of contention between landlords and tenants in Montreal.
Messier says lease transfers must be abolished, as they can prevent the landlord from increasing rent between tenants.
“The law should protect the tenant while he’s there, but as soon as the tenant is leaving, we should be able to put back the rent to market value. We should be able to negotiate with the tenant the price of the rent, without possibility of contestation.”
On the flip side, Olivia Dumas says lease transfers don’t take rights away from landlords, and that they’re one of the few tools tenants have to curb rent increases.
“Ultimately, landlords tend to increase rent the most between tenants. It’s understandable that they would want to get rid of it because this is what would allow them to increase rents, unchecked, and without any form of control.”
CTV News reached out to the Housing Ministry for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Both sides of the debate are calling on the provincial government for help, and hope the issue will be front and centre ahead of the upcoming election.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.