Yesterday, the Québec Rental Board was heard by the members of this Commission in the context of its mandate to oversee government bodies.
The President of the Québec Rental Board, Me Luc Harvey, had amongst other things, the task of explaining the different situations experienced by tenants and landlords, such as long hearing delays, and the recurrent problem of retraction requests following Board decisions.
Earlier this month, the Québec Rental Board's annual report, and a report by the Protecteur du Citoyen both dealt with these two problem situations.
We must face the fact that, given its current lack of ressources , the Québec Rental Board has been unable to reduce the long wait times for cases to be heard, which have shown a slight increase in certain cases, and this despite recommendations in past reports by Québec's Protecteur du citoyen.
The figures cited in this most recent report show that there has been a 19% increase in the number of cases waiting to be heard, a 63% increase in cases to set the rent, an 18% increase in cases of non-payment of rent, and a 7% percent increase in civil cases, whereas the number of decisions rendered has decreased by 11%, and the number of settlements by conciliation has also decreased by 15%.
In light of this situation, the Protecteur du citoyen has requested that the Government enact a law to counter retraction requests that are filed abusively. These requests turn the legal process into a quagmire and enable individuals to suspend the effects of judgements rendered against them. As well, the Protecteur du citoyen has stated that it is deeply concerned with the Québec Rental Board's ability to ensure that justice is rendered within a reasonable time taking into consideration the restrictions of its legal framework.
The Québec Lanldords Association has submitted a brief outlining its list of problems and recommendations to the Commission in order to make the elected members aware of the difficulties experienced by landlords in order for them to adopt appropriate solutions. It is saddening to see that the Government has failed to act to solve these problems and to make use of the concrete solutions that have been proposed.
The Québec Landlord's Association will be closely following this matter, as it does in all matters concerning rental property matters.