Every year, July 1st turns several Quebec neighborhoods into open‑air dumping grounds. Streets fill up with mattresses, broken furniture, abandoned appliances, and garbage bags. But what we see far less — and what costs far more — are the apartments left in catastrophic condition by certain tenants.
According to several reports from across the province on July 1st, waste‑collection companies were overwhelmed with calls from new tenants stuck with the trash left behind by previous occupants.
This is not just a street problem: it’s a problem **inside buildings**, and landlords are the ones who must absorb the costs and take responsibility for restoring their properties.
Significant costs… for those who are not responsible
Landlords must pay for:
- Emergency cleaning
- Transport and disposal of bulky items
- Repairs
- Loss of rent
- TAL litigation
Meanwhile, the tenants at fault often face no immediate consequences.
Beware of solutions proposed by some mayors
Several municipalities are considering measures to reduce illegal dumping.
But the APQ wants to be clear: Landlords must not be penalized for waste they did not produce.
- Landlords are not the ones leaving mattresses on the streets.
- Landlords are not the ones abandoning fridges in apartments.
- Landlords are not the ones creating illegal dumping sites.
Imposing fines or additional responsibilities on landlords would be an easy solution — but completely unjustifiable and unfair.
What the APQ is asking for
- Targeted awareness campaigns for tenants
- Official reminders before the end of the lease
- Municipal measures aimed at the *actual* responsible parties
- Collaboration with landlords
In the end, July 1st is a collective challenge, but solutions must be fair.
Landlords are not the ones leaving the waste — they are the ones cleaning it up.
Municipal measures must target the problematic behaviors, not those who suffer the consequences.