City of Montreal swoops in to protect rooming house from sale to private buyer | 24CA News
The City of Montreal has swooped in to amass a rooming home within the Sud-Ouest borough earlier than it may very well be offered to a personal entity.
It’s one thing officers are doing an increasing number of by utilizing the precise of first refusal.
The metropolis is utilizing the authorized energy to assist maintain rents low and make a dent within the housing disaster.
“One year ago, we decided to protect rooming houses and that’s why we are use a new tool, a new legal tool, the right of first refusal,” mentioned Sud-Ouest borough mayor Benoit Dorais.
The constructing, newly acquired by town, is a seven-unit rooming home on Centre Street in Pointe-Saint-Charles the place weak tenants are paying low rents.
The landlord had a suggestion on the desk to promote the constructing for $1,385,000, however utilizing the precise of first refusal, town was in a position to match it and drive the proprietor to promote the constructing to them as an alternative.
Viken Gulumian, who informed Global News he was the proprietor of the constructing, mentioned a bailiff confirmed up at his door someday.
“They explained to me that the city has the right to buy it and so forth,” he mentioned.
It’s one thing town is doing an increasing number of with a purpose to forestall inexpensive housing models from entering into the arms of personal pursuits, which may result in hire will increase or renovictions.
“It’s very important for us to to purchase that kind of building because these are the most vulnerable people,” mentioned Dorais.
Welcome Hall Mission CEO Sam Watts known as town’s newest acquisition “good news” and mentioned defending rooming homes is a key within the combat towards homelessness.
“If someone’s in a rooming house, we know who they are, we know where they are and in many instances we can help them either stay where they are or start the process of getting into a spot where they’re more permanently housed, more securely,” Watts mentioned.
The metropolis has been using the precise of first refusal since 2022, and has acquired 5 buildings up to now.
The proprietor of the most recent one didn’t lose any cash by promoting to town as an alternative of a personal purchaser, however thinks there are different methods to maintain weak folks housed.
‘They can put up the minimal wage for everyone and reduce the taxes on folks,” mentioned Gulumian, explaining that rising bills make it troublesome for landlords to maintain rents low and nonetheless revenue from their investments.
The metropolis, nonetheless, sees this as a successful technique that they are going to proceed to make use of. The purpose is to get the constructing into the arms of a non-profit by subsequent yr so it may be changed into social housing the place rents will keep low cost for good.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
