The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) participated in an interview on Radio-Canada Bas-Saint-Laurent (1) about a landlord in Mont-Joli who, after multiple steps, found his rental housing ransacked and with about twenty cats abandoned by the tenant.
It is true that since then, the law has changed since December 4, 2015, aimed at improving the condition of the animals: An animal will be deemed to be abandoned if it is found alone in premises subject to a lease after the expiration or termination of the lease.
So, since it came into force, rental housing owners have a process to follow and should no longer be alone with the animals left. An organization must come and collect them. According to the landlord (2), the process was not simple: “Mr. Verreault got in touch with the tenant in February, who asked him for help. He then knocked on several doors to find a solution: the City of Mont-Joli, the Sûreté du Québec, the CLSC, the MAPAQ... They have all been passing the buck since April. It’s as if the City doesn't know what to do. “No one entered the building,” he says. And it was finally the MAPAQ that intervened after the tenant left the apartment.
But even if the animal is recovered by an organization, the owner must take steps with the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL) for the damages.
Still, it is complicated and takes time to locate the tenant, put him on notice and then wait several months, or even years to obtain a first hearing. It is then necessary, after months of waiting, to take a day for a session in Court: This whole process discourages rental housing owners.
It is true that a security deposit will never be able to prevent and/or cover damages in a case like that of the twenty cats in Mont-Joli, but it is the deterrent effect that the APQ claims.
But why is a security deposit necessary?
1) To make tenants aware of their behaviour.
2) To reduce financial losses in the event of damage.
3) To reduce financial losses in the event of non-payment of rent.
4) To secure rentals.
5) To eliminate access to animals in rental housing.
The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) will continue to highlight the need for the deposit but will also offer training to manage complex cases with tenants.
(1) https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/info-reveil/segments/rattrapage/1870299/quels-sont-recours-proprietaires-immeubles-quant-aux-animaux
(2) https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2109644/chat-refuge-abandon-mapaq-mont-joli#:~:text=une%20soixantaine%20de%20chats%20et,abritait%20une%20soixantaine%20de%20chats.