Viral Photos Apparently Show An Enormous Lineup To Visit A Montreal Apartment

Photos posted to Facebook by one Annie Vallée show what she describes as an enormous lineup to visit a Montreal apartment.

Vallée told MTL Blog she was walking home down rue Galt when she spotted the crowd, which she estimates reached up to 40 people.

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"I've never seen [a lineup] like that in my life," she said, calling the situation "absurd."

Annie Vallée | Facebook

Annie Vallée | Facebook

MTL Blog was unable to confirm the address of the rental unit. But this apartment listing includes an address that appears to be the point where the line in Vallée's photos begins.

The Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec, a renters' advocacy group, shared Vallée's post on its own Facebook page along with a call for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Andrée Laforest, to address the housing crisis.

Does this happen often in Montreal?

"It happens occasionally," explained Maxime Roy-Allard, spokesperson for the RCLALQ to Narcity Quebec.

"Especially when there is a shortage of affordable housing, as has been the case for several years in Montreal."

Allard estimates that this phenomenon could happen more and more often in Montreal and that it could take hours waiting in line to visit an apartment in the city.

How can your rent application stand out?

Some landlords might accept security deposits or you can even bid on an apartment similar to how you would a house.

"But that's still a problem, because if everyone starts to increase [their bids], the price of rents will just increase more quickly and there will be people who will suffer because it's not everyone who can afford to offer homeowners an additional $ 100 or $ 200 per month," said Roy-Allard.

"There is a lack of affordable housing and there is no mechanism to really control the price of rents in the end."

Will this get worse in the future?

"We fear the worst for July 1," said Roy-Allard.

Last year was a difficult time for renters in Montreal and with the average price of both homes and apartments exploding across the city, more and more people might be unable to afford to live in Montreal.

The RCLALQ and other affordable housing advocates are petitioning the government for a rent freeze in Quebec, among other initiatives that they believe will help renters.