The Regulations on healthiness, on the maintenance and the safety of residences[1] specifies the minimal standards relating to healthiness, maintenance, fire protection, safety against breaking and entering, the design of the residences and the equipment and installations essential to provide to the occupants.
Moreover, the regulations apply to any building or part of a building used or intended to be used for residential purposes as well as to their accessories in particular, a hangar, a balcony, a garage, a car shelter and a tool shed[2].
It is important to note that these regulations do not apply to a building[3]:
1° of an exclusively institutional nature;
2° of an exclusively commercial nature serving or intended to serve customers of passage;
3° occupied or intended to be occupied exclusively by an establishment.
There are several important provisions of which those relating to chapter X (Resistance to breaking and entering).
Article 60 stipulates that:
“A principal or secondary entry door of a building, as well as a door of a garage or of a hangar, must be equipped with a mechanism of suitable locking which gives access with a key, a magnetized chart or another controlling device.”
Article 61 states that:
“The principal entry of a building of more than 8 residences or rooms of a boarding house must be equipped with a bell for each one of the residences or for each one of the rooms and the door of entry must be provided with a unlocking device which can be actuated starting from each apartment or from each room. ”
Any principal entry door of a housing must comprise a peep hole, except if the door is provided with a transparent glazing or if there is a transparent panel. This article does not apply to a building of only one apartment[4].
Sanctions
Whoever contravenes one or the other of the provisions of the Regulations on healthiness, on the maintenance and the safety of the residences, commits an offence and is liable:
• In the case of an individual, of a fine going from 200 $ to 2.000 $, according to the infringement having been made and if it concerns a subsequent offence.
• For a legal entity, the amount of the fine is twice as high.
Moreover, the City has the capacity to have certain envisaged works of safety carried out, and this, at the expense of the owner.