The staggering increase in rents and the phenomenon of renovations are worrying in Saint-Laurent. The situation is particularly felt in a neighborhood popular with newcomers, claims the Local housing committee.
The vacancy rate is on the rise in the borough, reveal the most recent data revealed by a survey on rental housing by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (SCHL).
The figures vary depending on the type of building. Those with 50 to 99 units show the largest increase, from 3.4 in 2019 to 5.4% the following year. Establishments with more than 100 units or more saw vacancy double from 0.7 to 1.4%. Buildings with 6 to 19 units, the rate of which has fallen from 8.6 to 8.3%, are the only exception.
These figures leave the Director General of the Housing Committee, Maria Vasquez, perplexed. “Three months ago, I couldn’t find any [logement]. I couldn’t help families find housing, ”she says.
In particular, significant increases in rents have been noted. Some go up to $ 160, for example.
Condos are also on the market, but financially, they would be inaccessible for families who have recently arrived.
“The choice they have is where it is cheaper, where we are exposed to unsanitary conditions, to average quality housing, so again, are there any availabilities, I don’t know, ”says the director general of the Housing Committee. She calls on the borough to do more in terms of housing cleanliness.
“We are maintaining sustained pressure on the owners of faulty buildings throughout the territory”, replies the DeSousa administration.
Forced to leave
Up to now, it has been confirmed that a building on rue Crépeau, built in 1967 and comprising around fifty dwellings, has been emptied by its owner, Topo Immobilier. The last two tenants will be relocated to a neighboring building.
Towards the end of 2020, major work forced Laurentians to find a new home. In exchange for a certain amount, the tenants had to leave, otherwise, the case would go to the Administrative Court of Housing.
“As soon as I start talking about the law, that we have to defend ourselves in court, they are afraid,” insists Maria Vasquez.
“The strategy is direct intimidation.” -Maria Vasquez
The owner had already started the renovations, without having a permit. A request from the Housing Committee led the borough to carry out checks.
“We intervened and issued, on November 12, 2020, an order to cease work, since no permit had been obtained to do so. An interior transformation permit (interior modifications, interior redevelopment, change of gypsum and insulation) was then issued on December 2, 2020 ”, underlines the communications officer, Marc-Olivier Fritsch.
Borough inspectors went to check whether work was underway in two other buildings on rue Crépeau, after being questioned by Saint-Laurent Metro. Nothing would suggest that renovations are coming.
In the last ten years, three establishments on rue Crépeau of Topo Immobilier have been taken over by the Health Plan of the Department of Housing until work is carried out. Since 2017, the borough has carried out several interventions there for reasons of unsanitary conditions or necessary renovations.
Even before knowing the extent of our request, Topo Immobilier declined to comment.
Aide
Faced with pressure from homeowners, newcomers folded, for lack of knowledge of the Quebec system. The Reception Center and Social and Economic Reference for Immigrants (SEARCH) of Saint-Laurent offers support in this regard.
“Of course, that can create a lot of stress and a lot of anxiety about the situation and we don’t necessarily know where to turn,” says the coordinator of the reception and integration department at CARI Saint- Laurent, Roxanne Bourgault.
Personalized service and support in the user’s language are available.
–
