City cracks down on bad landlord

Montreal city hall is cracking down on what it's calling one of the worst landlords in Montreal.

CBC has learned the city plans to shut down the landlord's apartment building on Plamondon street in the Cote des Neiges district. The landlord says he'll fight city hall. The city's housing department has sent inspectors to Plamondon more than 100 times since 1997.

Tenants have complained that the landlord, Claudio di Giambattista, isn't doing the repairs or the upkeep needed. The housing department has fined Di Giambattista 14 times.

City will help tenants move

Now, the city's executive member in charge of permits and inspections says enough is enough. Saulie Zajdel says he's sending a municipal notice to the tenants.

"A 30-day notice, which will be sent out probably in the next few days, advising them of the city's intention to evacuate the building and to board it up awaiting renovation of the building," Zajdel says.

Zajdel says the city will give $25,000 to two community groups in the area to help tenants with moving costs.

Landlord says tenants are exaggerating

Di Giambattista says the city and the media are blowing this out of proportion:

"I don't have to fix anything, just four toilets. I have already there 3 sheets of gyprock, to fix three or four toilets," he says. Di Giambattista says he hasn't done the repairs because he doesn't want the tenants to stay.

"These are not tenants, these are rotten people. They don't pay the rent," he says.

Di Giambattista says he will fight the city. Tenants in the 32 apartments are glad to see the landlord punished, but many are not eager to move.