The number of tenants who come to their housing committee because they have received an eviction notice continues to climb in the province and the new owners are the main culprits, according to a group of organizations.
In 2021, the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenantes du Québec (RCLALQ) recorded 874 requests from tenants related to repossessions of housing, evictions for reasons of expansion or change of use as well as for “renovations”. , a portmanteau that defines evictions carried out in order to renovate an apartment and re-let it at a higher price thereafter.
This number represents only “the tip of the iceberg” of evictions carried out in Quebec, which are counted “by the thousands” each year, evoked Tuesday morning in virtual press conference the spokesperson of RCLALQ, Maxime Roy-Allard. However, the data compiled by the members of the grouping confirms the upward trend. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of complaints recorded had increased from 305 to 597. Since January 1, 2021, this number has reached 874, an increase of 46% compared to last year.
Relocations that involve sacrifices
The RCLALQ also notes that more than half (53%) of the attempted repossessions of housing or eviction recorded involve owners who have acquired the building for less than a year. The grouping also notes that half of the evicted tenants had occupied their accommodation for at least 10 years, while more than a third had lived there for at least 15 years. Most of them therefore paid a rent well below the market price.
“These are tenants who pay affordable rents,” said Mr. Roy-Allard. By being evicted, they then find themselves, in many cases, having to relocate to more expensive accommodation, which can lead them to make sacrifices on other expenses, such as food. Many tenants also have no choice but to move to another area to find other housing offering affordable rent.
More than 80% of these complaints related to evictions concern Montreal, indicated Mr. Roy-Allard when questioned by The duty. However, the increase noted is also being felt in several other regions, such as Quebec and Lanaudière.
More details will follow.