What Montreal tenants should know in a competitive rental market

CTV News Montreal looks at the challenges of finding a new apartment and how tenants can protect themselves.

This is Part 3 of a CTV News Montreal investigation into tenants’ allegations against a social media influencer-turned real estate investor. Read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here.

In a fiercely competitive rental market, ads ran on Montreal radio stations early this year, urging tenants to think twice before giving up their current apartment units.

“Are you a tenant who wants to move? Don’t waste a second. Make sure you find your next place to live before you cancel your current lease. Apartments rent quickly, very quickly. Start looking now to avoid any unpleasant surprises,” implored one ad from the Societé d’habitation du Quebec.

• READ MORE: Montreal warns tenants to think twice before moving this year

A Montreal tenant who is taking her former landlord to Quebec’s housing tribunal and seeking more than $60,000 in damages, alleging she was the victim of a disguised eviction orchestrated by an influencer-turned-real estate investor, told CTV News she heard the ads in the midst of her own frantic search to find a new apartment.

“You hear the ads on the radio that are like, ‘Don’t move!’ The rental market is really bad,” she said.

Because the tenant sharing her story feared going public could compromise her future ability to secure an apartment and requested anonymity, CTV News is identifying her by a pseudonym, “Michelle”.

Michelle said she spent weeks sending hundreds of messages responding to ads on Facebook Marketplace, trying to secure a new apartment.

“I finally ended up being the second person to message someone for their apartment, out of – he said – 350 messages he got on Facebook, for his 3 1/2 for $1030,” said Michelle.

Resources for tenants

Michelle said her local housing committee, Entraide Logement Hochelaga Maisonneuve, helped her navigate the complicated situation with her previous landlord.

“Call your housing committee and call the support systems that you have in your neighbourhood, because they are there to help you,” said Michelle.

In the current Montreal rental market, and with the reality of renovictions, lawyer Manuel Johnson told CTV News that tenants need to know their rights.

“When you’re a tenant, even if you’re not the owner of the building, it’s still your home,” said Johnson.

It’s a message echoed by the Citizen Action Committee of Verdun (CACV), a group that aims to educate tenants about their rights.

“If you have a July first lease, it means that you should expect to receive your rent increase notice about three to six months before the end of your lease,” said Lyn O’Donnell, a CACV community organizer and intervention worker.

Tenants have one month to respond to the notice, she added.

“They can refuse and try to negotiate. They can flat out refuse. They can refuse with their neighbours, which is highly encouraged,” she said.

• READ MORE: Quebec is changing how rent increases will be calculated after hikes hit historic high

O’Donnell said she also encourages tenants to take time before signing any documents.

“When you receive a notice – whether it’s a rent increase notice, a notice of eviction, etc. – you don’t want sign something on the spot, no matter how much pressure is being put on you. There is never a rush to actually sign something,” said O’Donnell, adding that tenants should speak with their neighbours, a housing committee or a lawyer.

Section G

When signing a lease, tenants can consult section “G” on page 3. The landlord has an obligation to fill out that section, so tenants know the lowest rent that was paid over the last 12 months. Tenants can subsequently try to negotiate a lower rent.

If a tenant cannot reach an agreement with the landlord, the tenant can file an application with the Quebec housing tribunal (TAL) and ask the tribunal to set the rent.

The application has to be filed within 10 days of signing the lease.

If the landlord left section G empty, a tenant has two months from the start of the lease to file an application with the TAL, to ask the tribunal to set the rent.