Tenants threatened with temporary eviction at Manoir Lafontaine due to major renovations will be able to stay in their accommodation in Plateau-Mont-Royal, has ruled the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL).
In a judgment dated May 11 seen by The dutythe administrative judge Philippe Morisset concluded that “the illegality of the work of the lessor, because they would change the shape of the accommodation, which is prohibited”.
The tenants of the ten-storey building, which has 90 apartments, had received eviction notices on March 30, 2021 for major work asking them to leave the premises by June 30.
After having studied the file, the court ruled, however, that the opinion was “imprecise and incomplete with regard to the nature of the work” to be carried out. The tenants have been “clearly misled as to the landlord’s true plan and the true scope of the work”, which “does not merely refurbish the units”, but is in fact aimed at “altering the layout of the units , reduce their surface area, divide certain rooms, change the configuration of kitchens and bathrooms”.
In exchange, the owners offered the tenants financial compensation equivalent to three months’ rent; the work was to last at least seven months. The owners also assured that the tenants could have returned to the premises when the building “will be[it] in good condition “.
Several tenants had accepted this offer, but others had decided to contest; hearings were held at the TAL last April. A common front made up of tenants, organizations and elected officials was also organized to support the residents of Manoir Lafontaine.
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