Montreal Is Getting A New 'Responsible Landlord' Certification & Public Rent Registry

The City of Montreal is on a mission to combat slumlords. On February 15, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante held a press conference to announce the details of her administration's new "responsible landlord" certification project.

Alongside Benoit Dorais, Mayor of Le Sud-Ouest, Plante explained that concrete solutions needed to be created in order to help stop the rise in "renovictions" and rent prices in Montreal.

The Mayor of Montreal described this new project as having major importance in helping better protect tenants in the city.

The certification will all the City to acquire "additional leverage to ensure a safer and healthier rental housing stock, while reducing the risks associated with the growing phenomenon of renovations and abusive rent increases," a press release by Ville de Montréal reads.

This new certification is going to apply to all buildings with eight or more apartments.

The City explained that it will "now require owners of buildings with eight or more units to obtain proof of proper maintenance of their building" in order to issue the responsible landlord certification. Landlords will have to send this proof to the City every five years, "along with a maintenance plan and corrective actions, if required."

In order to get this new certification, landlords are also going to need to declare the rent prices for each of their units. This will allow for the creation of a public rent registry for these buildings, forcing landlords to be transparent about the rent price paid on the market.

All of this information is going to be available to the public on a website, which will make it easy for Montrealers to access necessary information when it comes to renting in the city.

"Access to safe and healthy housing is an essential need and we must protect the affordable rental housing stock so that it continues to meet the expectations of households. Montreal must remain accessible to all, and we are taking the means to achieve this," said Plante.

The project is expected to take effect during the beginning of 2023 and "will be phased in over a five-year period, starting with the largest buildings."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.