Quebec housing minister maintains stance on lease transfers
Global News
With less than two weeks left before the national assembly breaks for the holidays, Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau is trying to push ahead with Bill 31.
With less than two weeks left before the national assembly breaks for the holidays, Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau is trying to push ahead with her controversial housing legislation.
Bill 31, which would allow owners to stop tenants from transferring their leases, is still undergoing clause-by-clause review at the legislature this week. Duranceau has tabled a number of changes to it, but she maintains that lease transfers are not the right way to deal with the housing crisis.
If the bill is adopted, it would still give homeowners the right to refuse a lease transfer without having to give a valid reason.
“Let’s say you have a landlord who owns a duplex, isn’t it reasonable to choose who’s going to live above his head?” Duranceau told Global News Tuesday. “It is not the right tool to control the rent.”
Duranceau is accusing housing groups of spreading “disinformation.”
She says her bill will not abolish lease transfers entirely. She also highlights that if a homeowner refuses a lease transfer without a valid reason, they would terminate the lease and allow the tenant to leave the apartment early without having to pay additional rent or penalties.
“I think she’s right,” Quebec Liberal Party housing critic Virginie Dufour said. “But it’s not the right moment…. At this moment when we see occupation rates so low, the truth is owners already have a right to bargain.”
In cases of eviction, homeowners would now have to pay tenants reasonable moving costs and the equivalent of one month’s rent for every year they’ve lived in the dwelling — for a minimum of three months and a maximum of 24. The bill also suggests the tenant could request more through the rental board if they feel it’s warranted.