Published July 8, 2024

By Ruby Pratka

Local Journalism Initiative

As the dust settles from the July 1 moving rush, the Office municipal d’habitation de Brome-Missisquoi (OMHBM) is reminding renters that its services are now available year round.

Julie Dion is a housing search assistance worker at the organization, which manages public housing in the region and helps renters and people with lower incomes find a place to live.

“We have not had to provide emergency housing to anyone this year. Some of the people we were supporting moved in with family members, others decided to stay where they were and others found places, although they ended up having to pay more than they were expecting,” she said. “There are places out there, but some are out of people’s price range, and others are less expensive but they might discriminate against renters that don’t have perfect credit.”

Dion said the OMBHM housing search assistance service can help renters put together documentation to convince landlords of their reliability and ability to pay, help people learn their way around housing search tools like Marketplace, and help them avoid scams and common illegal practices (for example, it is illegal for a landlord to ask for a security deposit or a credit check deposit). The service is free. 

“Since the service is year-round, we don’t have as many urgent last-minute requests, and I’m still seeing ‘for rent’ announcements now,” she said.

Dion advised people who think they might have to move in the next year to get on top of things early. “Don’t leave it to the last minute. Ask for references from your former landlords and your employer, and get in touch with us right away.”

If you need to move and are having trouble finding a place to live, contact the OMHBM housing search assistance service directly at 450 830-5453 or sarl@ohbm.ca.

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