Fourteen Quebec mayors are calling on the provincial government to adopt a public, mandatory and universal rent register.
Their letter, which notably includes the signatures of the mayors of Quebec, Gatineau, Laval, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, explains that the current housing crisis is crushing more and more people and that the mandatory registry solution would have a significant impact to stop the inflation of rents and to restore the balance.
Tenants’ rights organizations have long been calling for the establishment of a register and mandatory rent control. This is notably the case of the Front d’action populaire en réménagement urbain (FRAPRU) and the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenants du Québec (RCLALQ).
In their opinion, thanks to a rent register, tenants would have the information they need to refuse an abusive rent increase since they would know the price paid by former tenants.
The mayors who signed the letter made public on Wednesday stress that the housing crisis in Quebec has devastating consequences for society as a whole. They add that Bill 31, which would notably modify the assignment of leases, could result in an increased increase in rents in Quebec.
They write that by adopting a rent register, the Quebec government would facilitate the negotiation of downward prices in the rental market. They believe a registry would help curb housing inflation stemming from rising rents.
The mayors add that the municipalities could thus follow the evolution of their housing stock in real time and better target investments in the residential market.
The Corporation of Quebec Property Owners (CORPIQ) recently voiced its disapproval of establishing a rent register. The organization believes that publishing rental prices will have no positive effect on the housing crisis, as it will not increase supply.
CORPIQ adds that the publication of rents could have a facilitating effect for landlords tempted by the phenomenon of renoviction.
The other signatories of the letter are the mayors of Granby, Carleton-sur-Mer, Mascouche, Nicolet, Rimouski, Saguenay, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Terrebonne. Benoit Dorais, mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough, vice-president of the Executive Council, and head of Housing for the City of Montreal, also put his name on the letter.