20% of landlords face non-payment of rent

Many landlords in Quebec are having problems with their tenants due to non-payment of rent. A worrying situation, according to CORPIQ.

According to a recent survey conducted by CORPIQ, 20% of landlords face tenants who leave their premises without warning and without paying the last month’s rent.

In Quebec, an average of 40,000 non-payment of rent cases end up before the Tribunal Administratif du Logiment (TAL) each year. A very costly situation for employers, as it creates losses of approximately $225 million annually.

For CORPIQ, security deposit by the tenant to the landlord is one of the solutions to combat the scourge of non-payment.

“The security deposit is to assure landlords that if the tenant ever leaves without paying, he has a kind of guarantee for himself, as he sees in other provinces,” said Marc-Andre Laplante, director of public affairs at CORPIQ.

“It’s important to investigate your tenants. Do you check with the credit bureau? Does your tenant have good credit? Do they have the ability to pay?” recalled Joshua Ponce of Bonslocataires.com.

He also suggests checking the potential tenant’s references to avoid unpleasant surprises.

“Does he have significant behavioral issues? You need to check with TAL, civil and criminal as well as references from former employers and employers,” he explained.