The positions of the Government of Quebec and the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) raise the question of whether they endorse excessive rent increases.
On the one hand, the government stubbornly refuses to introduce a lease register that would make it possible to control rents a little bit by reducing abusive and illegal increases. Moreover, although the legislation provides for the principles that must be respected by landlords with regard to the maintenance of buildings, many let mold invade the dwellings to encourage tenants to leave the premises in order to raise the rent illegally after a few blows of brush. […]
On the other hand, the TAL sets the rent on the basis of indices varying according to the mode of heating in addition to factors linked to the expenses and income of the building (maintenance, energy, insurance, taxes, etc.) in which find the accommodation in question. These criteria favor the landlord and lead to an unjustified increase, because fixed without having checked whether the conditions of the lease had been changed during the previous year. In particular, did the tenant lose services and full enjoyment of the premises following a unilateral modification of the lease by the owner and the refusal of the latter to respect the legislation? […]
In addition, the government should impose on owners a building habitability code enacting satisfactory standards to slow the deterioration of housing and ensure a better quality environment for the health of tenants. It should be enforced by trained municipal inspectors. These are measures for fairer rent increases while encouraging landlords to respect their legal obligations to tenants.
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