Are you comfortable at home? Or are you dreaming of moving? In the midst of a housing crisis, The duty has called for reader stories, which will be published over the summer. Exhausted by her search for housing, a teacher had to resort to the D system to find a roof.
Catherine Gagnon experienced “one of the biggest stresses” of her life at the beginning of the year: looking for accommodation in Montreal. This francization teacher went through the ads for weeks. She visited around ten apartments. All too expensive. Badly located. Or downright “disgusting”, unsanitary or with holes in the walls.
When she found suitable accommodation, it had just been rented to someone else. She saw dozens of people lining up in front of an apartment for rent. The housing crisis in all its glory.
For a landlord, she has the profile of the perfect tenant: a young professional with no children, no pets and references.
In her quest for a roof over her head, Catherine Gagnon even adopted a strategy to attract attention. She prepared a personalized card that she gave to the person who was doing the showings: “Thank you for having me in your home today. I am calm and respectful, etc.”
She quickly realized that her great seduction was in vain. A significant proportion of the visits were organized by rental agencies serving large real estate companies. No human contact, no emotion could influence the decision to rent to this or that person. In this world where groups of investors own “doors” (as they say in their jargon), renting a home is nothing more than a financial transaction.
At her wit’s end, Catherine Gagnon even contacted a real estate agent to help her with her search. “It was good to have someone to talk to. There were times when I was experiencing real psychological distress. You don’t know if you’re going to find a place to stay.”
She says she has no complaints. She makes a good living as a teacher, but she cut her hours — and her salary — by 30 percent to pursue a doctorate in education. In an ideal world, she would like to be able to go out, eat out, and buy a bike after paying the rent.
The beautiful story
There is still some good news in this story: the teacher ended up finding the ideal accommodation. At a cost significantly lower than current prices. But like many tenants, she had to resort to the D system, making her contacts work and relying on luck to have a roof over her head.
In desperation, Catherine Gagnon called the owner of one of her old apartments, avenue De Lorimier, in the heart of Plateau-Mont-Royal. But he had nothing for her. She therefore signed a lease for a four and a half for $1,500 per month on Boulevard Saint-Joseph, still on the Plateau. In the current state of the market, it was almost correct, as rent.
Shortly after, a dramatic turn of events: her former landlord informed her that a flat had become available in the building where she had lived at the start of her teaching career, between 2008 and 2013. Better still, it was the same flat, on the top floor of a triplex, that she had loved.
“When I came back, I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t feel like I was going back in time, but like I was coming home,” says Catherine Gagnon, who we meet in her haven of peace (she had the lease on the $1,500 apartment she had previously signed cancelled).
Owner with a big heart
Oh yes, another detail: his old new apartment costs him $750 per month. The owner, Christian Lessard, says he “doesn’t need more.” It increases its rents each year gradually. “I bought my triplex 39 years ago. It wasn’t expensive at the time, I paid it off in seven years. I don’t have a mortgage, that changes everything,” he says.
The retiree is sad to have seen neighbors evicted from their homes in recent years, including a family who had lived in the same place for decades, by unscrupulous landlords.
Christian Lessard is also happy to have found a golden tenant. “It stressed me out a lot to put out an ad to find a tenant. There’s a risk of making a mistake. And I get 100, 125, 150 calls every time. It’s terrible.”
Catherine Gagnon is full of praise for this big-hearted owner. Her accommodation makes her happy. “It’s small, it’s a bit crooked, it’s beautiful, it’s my home. Thanks to this socialist capitalist owner! »
The value of a refuge
Daylight enters through the two large windows on the front. The place is warm. The tenant loves the hardwood floors, the woodwork, the typically Montreal character. And Mount Royal, this treasure, is very close.
A beautiful essay lies on the dining room table: At homeby French journalist Mona Chollet, published in 2016. The housing crisis and growing social tensions reinforce the value of home as a refuge, argues the author.
“The home, a place of chilly withdrawal where we slouch in front of the television in shapeless pajamas? Without a doubt. But also, in a harsh and disoriented time, a rear base where we can protect ourselves, rebuild our strength, remember our desires. In the ardor we put into nestling at home or dreaming of the ideal home, we express what we have left of vitality, of faith in the future,” she writes.
Catherine Gagnon agrees with this observation. But she points out that its corollary—the inability for some to find decent housing—amplifies social distress. “My friend keeps saying that we need to stop saying that $750 a month for housing is a bargain. It’s the right price. Housing is a right, not a luxury,” she says.
“I’m white, I have a good job and I’ve had trouble finding housing. Imagine immigrant families who have just arrived here,” says the teacher indignantly.
She wonders why tenants who are out of breath don’t come out to demonstrate in the streets. Maybe they don’t have time, they are too busy working day and night to survive. Then she thinks out loud about her future. What would happen if its owner decided to sell the building? Anxiety rises within her. Maybe she could team up with friends to acquire it. And avoid experiencing one of the “biggest stresses” of your life again…