A look back at the latest government annoncements: what to remember as a landlord

There are two issues in the news this week that I’d like to talk about: the Quebec government’s 2023–2024 budget, which will be presented in the next few weeks, and the ministry of housing’s announcement of a major consultation to review and modernize the legislation governing the rental sector in Quebec.

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I’d like to start by telling you about the upcoming budget. This week, CORPIQ, accompanied by the APCHQ, the ACQ and the Urban development institute of Quebec (UDI), presented a joint brief. This just goes to show the solidarity that exists among the players involved, and that the housing crisis has prompted us to act. As you have seen in recent weeks, rental vacancy rates are very low across Quebec. In the rental sector, there is a shortage and an imbalance between supply and demand, but this is the case throughout the housing industry.

That is why CORPIQ and the three big organizations mentioned above have joined forces to make budget requests. We believe that the construction and new housing industry is slowing down for 2023, and the government will need to create the kind of conditions that will increase supply—in other words, that will stimulate the construction of new housing. It will also need to provide tools to support all landlords and builders in the housing industry.

We hope that the MNAs and the government will pay attention to the brief, because the construction of new housing in Quebec needs to be revived and stimulated. And we don’t just want to focus on new housing; we also want to deal with aging rental housing stock. As you know, 60% of housing units were built before 1980, so there is a deficit in the maintenance of the rental stock. We also think that there are problems in supporting you as landlords and giving you the right tools to update and renovate properties in these difficult economic times, when interest rates are higher, and labour and material costs have been at their highest for some time. That’s why we’re asking the government to help and support landlords. I encourage you to read CORPIQ’s brief on the subject, which sets out various proposals. We expect to see housing starts and proposals in early March, as well as government support for the construction industry and the rental sector, which is currently in a very difficult position.

The second issue in the news this week that I’d like to discuss with you is the review and modernization of the legislation governing the rental sector. As you know, for months, if not years, we in the rental sector have been hoping for a revision of the legislation supporting the rules laid down by the Tribunal administratif du logement. I’m not going to list the proposals that CORPIQ is defending, but we all know that managing the rental housing stock and doing your job as landlords is becoming more and more difficult because the legislation needs to be updated. The good news is that housing minister France-Élaine Duranceau has appointed her colleague and Member for Labelle to consult organizations such as CORPIQ and the various partners to modernize the rental sector and the rules that govern it.

We’re thrilled with this good news, but at the same time, we’ll be waiting to see how the next steps unfold in the coming weeks and months. We also intend to ask you very shortly to help us prioritize the big changes that we want to see take shape—changes that you know, that we all know. Our expectations are high, but we have hope because we feel that the government wants to restore a better balance. We’re also aware that it feels that landlords in the rental sector are finding it increasingly difficult to play their full role and provide the best rental conditions for the 1.4 million households in the private sector.

So, two things this week: at CORPIQ, we’re very happy to represent you in all the forums and especially in the area of government relations. Thank you for your support and your solidarity. I think we’re entering a crucial period for the changes that are desired and hoped for, and I think we’re all very hopeful that we’ll see legislative changes in the coming months.