The possible tightening of rules surrounding the assignment of a lease “is a cause for concern,” Valérie Plante said Monday, three days after the Quebec government introduced a bill to that effect.
Posted at 1:06 p.m
The Mayor of Montreal said she could understand citizens concerned about such reform amid a real estate crisis. In Montreal, many units have moved from tenant to tenant rather than re-entering the rental market.
“When the number of people leaving their lease increases, there’s a reason: People want to maintain affordability,” she said on the sidelines of a press conference in La Fontaine Park.
Under the Legault government’s bill, a landlord would no longer need serious reasons to refuse to assign a lease on his apartments.
“There is cause for concern and of course we have to listen to people who are saying to themselves: in the current context where we are in a housing crisis and there is tremendous pressure on people to find affordable housing, that is a problem “, added her.
French housing minister Elaine Duranceau defended her reform on Monday.
“Use tenants [la cession de bail] to transfer their apartment and the landlord cannot say anything about it. The owner owns the building, he has the right to choose who to do business with,” she said. “The provision must be used for its primary purpose: to get rid of his lease. »
The mayor declined to comment officially on the content of the bill. ” It’s too early. “The bill was presented on Friday,” she said, but noted that “there are very good elements in the bill, we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater”. She referred in particular to the reversal of the burden of proof for homeowners in renovations.
She said she understands “good landlords who want more control over who takes possession of their home,” adding, “At the same time, you have to be very sensitive to what’s happening in that moment.”