Québec Landlord Association Questions New “Double Rent” Law

The new law states that when an elderly person is admitted for residential or long term care, they are allowed to cancel the lease, subject to a requirement that they pay until a new resident is acquired,  not to exceed three months.

 

The objection of the APQ is not the law itself, but rather the fact that the government felt the need to reiterate what is already existing practice.

 

“Landlords are already subject to this rule. Once an elderly tenant sends a notice of cancellation for these reasons their liability is limited to three months’ rent. If the dwelling is re-let before the three months have passed the landlord cannot collect double payments,” states the APQ’s President, Martin Messier.

The APQ wishes to point out that a lease is a contract between two parties and, while the proposed amendment won’t change the situation as it stands, it constitutes an inopportune intervention in a private contractual matter. The APQ is asking the government to limit its interventions and to respect the parties’ freedom to contract.

Founded in 1984, the Québec Landlords Association (APQ) is the largest association of its kind serving landlords of residential dwellings throughout all regions of Québec.

 

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