Montreal landlord to get $130K subsidy despite court challenge

The City of Montreal has agreed to give a renovation subsidy to a landlord who is being challenged in court by a former tenant.

LandlordTimCanaj pleaded not guilty before Quebec Superior Court Thursday after aformer tenant accused him of being incontempt of court for failing to obey multiple orders from the Quebec rental board. His wife and co-accused, Teujta Canaj, has also entered a not guilty plea.

• Montreal tenant taking landlord to Quebec Superior Court

Both Tim and Teujta Canajwere ordered to appear back in court on Feb. 18th.

The case stems from a building inspection done in June2012 that led to a family having to evacuate their home.

The inspector at that timedeemed Singh's family home unfit for habitation and ordered them to evacuate the premises.

That building is very emblematic of the new approach from City of Montreal Beforegiving any ticket, they're going to offer a subsidy.- AndrTrpanier, tenants' rights advocate

"The state of this apartment could threaten your health and safety," the inspector wrote in his evacuation notice.

But instead of using coercive or punitive measuresagainst the landlord such as fines, a notice of deterioration, or forcing renovations and billing the landlord the City of Montreal agreed to give Canaj a subsidy to help pay for renovations.

The subsidy, worthmore than$130,000,will only be granted once the work iscompleted andthe building located at 7905 Querbes Ave.is brought up to code.

Tenants'rights advocates said they're frustrated with the way the City of Montreal handles these types of cases.

"That building is very emblematic of the new approach from City of Montreal Beforegiving any ticket, they're going to offer a subsidy," saidAndrTrpanier, a tenants' rights advocate with the Parc-Extension Action Committee.

"Sometimeswe think,in the mind of central citytenants from Montreal [are] not important. It is the building and the relations with the owner [that are important]."

City not available for comment

The Montreal executive committee member in charge of housing, Russell Copeman, was not available to comment because he is out of the country.

CBC News requested a written statement or an interview with another member of the executive committee, but those requests were denied.

The city did confirm that it plans to give the landlord a subsidy, but only if the work is completed.

It also said that it had sent 138 non-conformity notices to the landlord, and inspectors are following up regularly to make sure renovations are progressing.

Landlord says he's working day and night

The landlord told CBC News he's already put close to $500,000 worth of work into the building, and he's working constantly to fix up the building.

"I'm a working guy I did so many renovations here in three years, I was working 16-hour days," said landlord TimCanaj.

He said when he bought the building in 2011, he didn't realize that it was so run-down.

"I got this building falling apart no balconies, all the plumbing in very bad shape, leaks everywhere."

Canaj said money has been tight for him, and it's difficult to do expensive renovations without increasing the rent.

Tenant takes matters into his own hands

While the City of Montreal works with the landlord, Singh is taking matters into his own hands.

He appeared before the Superior Courttoday to challenge his landlord. Canaj on Thursday asked for a delay until Feb. 18.

Tenants advocates said it's rare for tenants to take a case to that level. Usually, advocates say, tenants give up and move on.

If Singh is successful, it's possible his case will give more power to future rental board decisions.

"If they get a judgment that is in their favour, it will help other people in court, because they'll sayLook, this is what happened in Superior Court, my case is similar, so I have to have the same kind of justice given to me," said Ted Wright, a tenants' rights advocate with the WestmountLegal Clinic.

Singh told CBC News that his landlord failed to reimburse him close to$3,000, owed for the decrepit conditions of Singh's old apartment, plus the trouble that Singh went through when his home was suddenly evacuated.

Singh also said his landlord terminated his lease, againstan order by the Quebec rental board.