More and more landlords are having difficulty with their tenants due to non-payment of rent in Quebec. A worrying situation, according to CORPIQ.
According to a recent survey conducted by CORPIQ, 20% of landlords face tenants who leave their accommodation without warning and without paying the last month’s rent.
In Quebec, an average of 40,000 cases of non-payment of rent end up before the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) per year. A rather costly situation for owners, because it generates approximately $225 million in losses annually.
For CORPIQ, one of the solutions to counter the scourge of non-payment is the security deposit that the tenant would make to the landlord.
“A security deposit is also to assure landlords that if the tenant ever leaves without paying, he finds himself with a form of guarantee, as we see in other provinces,” said Marc-André Laplante, director public affairs of CORPIQ.
“It is very important to investigate your tenants. Do you check with a credit bureau? Does your tenant have good credit? Do they have the capacity to pay?” recalled Josué Joshua Ponce of Bonslocataires.com.
He also suggests checking the references of a potential tenant to avoid unpleasant surprises.
“Does he have very significant behavioral problems? You have to check with the TAL, the Civil and the Criminal as well as with the references of the former owners and employers,” he explained.
