False advertising. Breach of trust. Deception on the surface of the accommodation. Inaccuracy as to the number and nature of the parts. Lease not corresponding to reality. Total disregard. Abuse of an elder’s weakness and exploitation of her vulnerability. All this was served to me by my landlords. A first lesson in old age!
At age 75, I experienced the above in a prominent residential building in Quebec. Despite my age and some memory problems, I do not suffer from cognitive loss. However, I must admit that if I had been ten years younger, I would not have stumbled upon the traps set by unscrupulous landlords. Did I have to experience their greed to realize that I am now an old woman? I think so.
In Quebec, condo buildings are springing up everywhere. Ultra-luxurious or simply luxurious, they appeal to seniors who, like me, decide to sell their house or apartment. Wishing to free themselves from the responsibilities of owners, these retirees are interested in the offers of promoters, whose enticing photos and assets fill social networks. Certain situations lead to the obligation to act quickly and quickly choose the accommodation that will house our last years.
This is what happened to me the day after the sale of my loft. My buyer wanted to enter a month later. Not to mention panicked, I fell into traps that I would normally have seen. There was an urgent need to find accommodation, to prepare my move, to move and move in in barely a month. As I live alone, these operations caused enormous stress, explaining my credulity and my reckless confidence. My renters took advantage of my vulnerability.
I have to defend myself. My brother, who is a lawyer, agreed to represent me, but he was eliminated from my file by the TAL, because my landlord is the client of one of his colleagues. Cause of conflict of interest, it seems? As for my request for justice, submitted to the TAL several months ago, a judge has just rejected it. I’m wondering. Do landlords have more rights than tenants? It looks like this.
Those who have followed, in the press, what has happened at the TAL over the past few months know, like me, that it is CORPIQ that dictates the rules and decisions there. The tenants? Unless they complain about vermin or mold, or if they don’t pay their rent, they have no business there. For me, it’s been eight months. My numerous offers of settlements with my landlords have all been ignored.
Faced with the rejection of the judgment of the TAL received two days ago, I asked for a rectification of the judgment. But I am preparing, if my physical and moral health allows it, to go to the Court of Appeal. The little old woman, she manages with the cogs of a so-called justice! We warned her, it will be long. No doubt we hope that with a little luck, she will catch COVID-19 or be outright diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.