Tribunal administratif du logement

Demonstrators brave the cold to demand rent freeze

Demonstrators brave the cold to demand rent freeze 

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter 

Cassandra@qctonline.com

Renters’ rights groups are raising the alarm about the combined impact of inflation, rising food prices and record rent increases on renters, a week after the province’s housing tribunal announced a record high 5.9 per cent rent increase benchmark. They are calling on the provincial government to impose a freeze on rent increases. 

During “rent control week” activities organized by the Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), on Jan. 30, some 25 protesters gathered in the cold in Parc de l’Amérique-Française and marched across the street to the offices of Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau in Édifice Marie-Guyart in the hope of freezing rents. 

Contrary to popular belief, the RCLALQ states, “There is no rent control in Quebec,” leaving tenants vulnerable to abusive increases. When presented with an increase they believe is abusive, tenants can go before the Tribunal administratif du Logement (TAL) and have a judge set an increase. According to the RCLALQ, many tenants are unaware of their rights, and when they do contest abusive, negligent or illegal practices, they often fail to make their voices heard at the TAL. 

On Jan. 21, the TAL announced a 5.9 percent rent increase benchmark for 2025 (see article in Jan. 29, 2025 edition). While the Coalition de Québec contre les hausses de loyer claims this trend drives rents up across the board, landlords argue these increases are overdue, compensating for nearly 10 years of mismanagement within the Régie du Logement and the TAL and allowing landlords to adjust to the rising costs of maintenance. 

Nicolas Villamarin Bonilla of the Coalition stated, “Owners’ income has risen, allowing them to increase rents further. This wealth drain is making the poor poorer and the richest are getting richer at their expense. The outdated calculation methods are concerning, particularly regarding rent evolution this year.” He continued, “We need action before it’s too late. Many tenants are already struggling to pay rent or find affordable housing. Rent-setting by the TAL is ineffective.” 

As a recourse, the RCLALQ and the Coalition are demanding an immediate rent freeze and provincewide rent control. At the Jan. 30 protest at the housing ministry offices, they threw white confetti to mimic snow and sang a modified version of the theme from Frozen while distributing stickers asserting the right of tenants to refuse rent hikes, until security personnel showed them the exit. 

Along with rising rents, there is a housing crisis in Quebec, renters’ groups assert. “There is housing available, but it is even more expensive. What is currently being built in Saint-Sauveur, we are talking about 4 1/2s [two-bedroom apartments] that start at $1,600, $2,000 [per month]. This is well above the ability of a large part of the neighbourhood’s population to pay,” said Guillaume Béliveau Côté of the Comité des citoyens et des citoyennes du quartier Saint-Sauveur.

As of Feb. 1, there is no indication the government plans to legislate to freeze rents, despite calls for a freeze by the Quebec Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire. Duranceau has said the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s approach to the housing shortage is centred around increasing supply. 

With files from Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

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Record rent benchmark increase alarms renters’ groups

Record rent increase benchmark alarms renters’ groups

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

At the Saint-Roch offices of the Bureau d’animation et d’information logement de Québec métropolitaine (BAIL-Québec), the phones haven’t stopped ringing for days. The record rent increase benchmark of 5.9 per cent announced by the province’s housing tribunal (Tribunal administratif du logement; TAL) has many renters in a panic as they brace for lease renewal season.

In Quebec, private residential landlords can increase rent annually by as much as they see fit, explained lawyer Richard Goldman of Éducaloi, a legal information nonprofit. Renters have the choice of accepting the increase and renewing their lease, moving out, or refusing the increase. If the tenant refuses the increase, they can either try to negotiate a smaller increase directly with the landlord, or go before the TAL and have a judge set a (non-negotiable) increase. Although the increases determined by the TAL can vary widely depending on the age of a building, whether it has been recently renovated or needs work, the property owner’s tax liability and whether utilities are included, the TAL uses the benchmark as a guideline to determine what a fair increase is. Some landlords also use the benchmark to calculate increases they propose to renters.

“Rent is made up of different components – maintenance, insurance, gas, electricity, net revenue [for the property owner], all of those make up a percentage [of the increase],” explained Jonathan Carmichael, an information officer at BAIL-Québec and a spokesperson for the provincewide Régroupement des comités du logement et des associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ; Quebec association of housing committees and renters’ associations). Macroeconomic indicators and housing tribunal jurisprudence also play a role in the calculations. The benchmark “gives [landlords and renters] an idea of what the TAL might decide, if your case goes before the TAL.” Last year’s benchmark was four per cent. Carmichael said the 5.9 per cent benchmark is “the highest we’ve seen in years. … Twenty years ago, it was more like one per cent.”

Carmichael said the organization had been getting “lots of calls” from worried renters. “Most people’s salaries have not gone up that much, and social assistance has not gone up by that much. People have been stretching the rubber band as much as they can for a long time now. The rise of the cost of living is also high, and landlords have been profiting from it.”

Real estate lawyer Martin Messier is president of the Association des propriétaires du Québec (APQ), the residential landlords’ professional association. He refutes Carmichael’s accusation that landlords are taking advantage of the situation to line their pockets. “We know that people are in a difficult situation, and it is also hard for a lot of our property owners, who are dealing with mortgages that have nearly doubled,” he said. “It’s not true that [the increase] is going in our pockets – it’s based on expenses.” He noted that fluctuating interest rates and the rising cost of renovations have made rent increases inevitable. “Every cost involved in maintaining a building has gone up, and we need to be able to maintain the building.”

The RCLALQ, the Quebec Liberal Party and Québec Solidaire have called for a rent freeze. Messier said that was untenable, and that direct aid to the most vulnerable renters might be a better approach as inflation continues to bite and economic uncertainty looms. “A rent freeze would make sense, but only if they banned tax increases, hydro rate increases and price increases for contractors,” he said. “If people’s income does not go up, we’re all stuck. We want renters to be happy and to be in a position to pay.”

Carmichael advised anyone who receives a rent increase that they are unable or unwilling to pay to contact their local housing committee for free advice. A provincewide directory of housing committees can be found at rclalq.qc.ca/en/housing-committee.

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