Québec solidaire submits two conditions to save Bill 31 on housing

Québec solidaire (QS) is counting on the time left to examine Bill 31, which forces France-Elaine Duranceau, the minister responsible for housing, to include measures affecting lease transfers and senior tenants.

The National Assembly calendar was given to the delegates till Tuesday evening to scrutinize the legislative text in the parliamentary committee. However, the elected officials did not have time to complete the study. The government can always rearrange the work schedule between now and Friday, but the problem is that doing so requires the approval of all MPs.

This is where the QS offer comes in. The party proposes to accept a change in schedule in exchange for two concessions from Minister Duranso.

The first objective is to add an exception to the new rules on lease assignments for roommates and separating couples. In such cases, a tenant vacating the lease may transfer it to another occupant of the premises, and the landlord cannot prevent him from doing so without reasonable cause.

Other concessions concern senior tenants: QS brings back the idea of ​​expanding the protection provided to senior tenants since the adoption of the “Francois David Law”. The law, passed in 2016, prohibits landlords from evicting low-income tenants age 70 and older who have lived in a home for at least 10 years. The Left Party now wants to lower the age limit to 65 and make the security effective after five years of rent.

“This could greatly help those who have the right to stay in the premises, even if they have not signed the lease,” argued Andrés Fontecilla, deputy in charge of the file at QS. “For us, it is important to look for minimum gains for tenants. Minimum gains, but it will benefit a very large number of tenants. »

Without receiving a response, the elected official submitted the proposal to the minister responsible for housing by the end of the day on Tuesday. M’s office^me Duranceau declined to comment on the matter.

Despite its opposition to the reform of lease transfers, QS last week supported the passage of Bill 31 because it would better monitor evictions. The legal text would not be adopted in time (and its examination was postponed until the start of the parliamentary term at the end of January), Mr. Fontecilla says tenants waiting for reform will get a reprieve. Lease transfers.

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