The rental sector gets back on track

The Legault government's announcements of the reopening of residential construction sites with imminent deliveries and the activities of certain real estate service companies had a positive impact on rental activities.

In fact, last week, and even more so this week, the number of listings published on Kangalou has been on the rise and the number of pre-rental screenings has rebounded. Landlords are moving ahead to remarket their dwellings and carry out rental activities even though the containment measures are still in place (please refer to our articles on the subject). It is a good thing that leases can be signed in large numbers since there is not much time left to clear the housing inventory by July 1st. The market remains strong, buoyed by a low vacancy rate; however, the fact remains that there has been a shift in demand given the low point recorded in late March and early April. The market is active at the end of April, and landlords can thus benefit from a better response to their marketing. At CORPIQ, our team is able to see the recovery, both on the web platforms and by the number of calls received in recent days. We are ready to face a strong demand on ProprioLocation, ProprioEnquête, and Kangalou, which are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your rental needs.

Brokerage and building inspection, a return that is not what we expected

Brokerage activities have been given essential service status, but in view of the planned occupations by July 31. In terms of new listings, there are still many unknowns surrounding the viewing and marketing of residential properties. The brokerage world was expecting much more openness, including more fluidity for visits and fewer restrictions. There is a lot of talk on the subject at the moment. Also, commercial brokerage, which a priori involves less risk, has still not been reactivated, which remains difficult to understand. It is probably a matter of days before further openings are added to ensure that the market has as few pitfalls as possible.

For inspections, the current safety protocol makes the activity feasible but very burdensome for all stakeholders. A series of measures are planned, including the wearing of protective equipment during the inspection and inspectors will have to follow a specific training procedure followed with the Polytechnique de Montréal. Also, only one resident will have to be on site during the inspection visit, which in many cases can be problematic.