Housing crisis | He saves $600 per month thanks to a rent register

The Vivre en ville organization’s rent register allowed a Montreal tenant to save $600 per month, but it took a lot of luck and perseverance to have his rights respected. Most tenants do not have this possibility, deplores the organization, which wants the register to become compulsory.

Samuel* was looking for a one-bedroom apartment in a central neighborhood last year that would meet his $1,000 budget. Due to market prices, he had to resign himself to agreeing to pay $1,500.

Before signing the lease, by consulting the Vivre en ville rent register, he saw that his future accommodation was listed there, with a rent of $900.

He therefore signed the lease, with the intention of contesting the rent before the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL). After numerous steps on his part, notably to find the former tenant, his landlord agreed to revise the rent to bring it down to $900.

Missing information

Even when renting to a new tenant, a landlord cannot increase the rent price as he wants. According to the law, any increase must be justified by an increase in eligible expenses.

To exercise his rights, the tenant must therefore know how much the previous occupant paid, information supposed to be included in clause G of the lease.

However, according to a Vivre en ville survey, 81% of tenants do not know this information, often because the owner has not completed clause G, even if he is required to do so. If the owner makes a false statement, he or she may be ordered to pay punitive damages.

The Vivre en ville rent register, which operates on a voluntary basis, currently has fewer than 70,000 registrations, while Quebec has more than 1 million housing units, indicates Adam Mongrain, director of the housing component of the organization.

Very few tenants can therefore check, before signing a lease, whether the rent required really complies with the law. “Enforcing your rights should not just be a question of luck,” emphasizes Mr. Mongrain.

Race against time

When the price charged is too high, the new tenant can request a rent fixing at the TAL, within 10 days following the signing of the lease, or within two months if the owner has made a false declaration, if he has not not completed section G or did not give a copy of the lease to the tenant.

But to argue before the TAL, the tenant cannot simply show the entry in the rent register. He must have proof of the price previously paid, by finding the former tenant and hoping that the latter has kept a copy of his lease.

Samuel therefore waited for mail to arrive for the former tenant of his accommodation to get her name and follow up with her. Luckily, she had kept her lease, which allowed her to document her request.

The landlord agreed to negotiate with Samuel when he received notice of the rent fixing request and an agreement was reached two days before the hearing date.

“Clause G of the lease is important, it is the last barrier allowing prices to not be constantly indexed due to competition between tenants looking for accommodation, but it does not work,” laments Adam Mongrain. The lack of information unfortunately allows unjustified increases. »

According to Mr. Mongrain, it is the government that should be responsible for registering the prices of all rents in the register so that all tenants have the same information.