Tenants' rights activists are taking the city of Montreal to task over the way they're dealing with negligent landlords.
Various groups said Tuesday that while tenants suffer and buildings stand dilapidated, owners are allowed to shirk their responsibilities.
Community and tenants' rights activists say they have had enough.
"Balconies in bad condition, water infiltration… we're in Montreal, we're not in the third world," said Andre Trepanier of the Park Extension Committee.
Montreal has the power to improve the situation with solid bylaws that allow the city to fix problems, said Claude Dagneau from housing group Oeil.
"They are not being applied and we have been saying that for many years," said Dagneau, adding that that system has worked in the past.
"The city of Montreal decided to use its power to repair something and send the bill to the owner," he said.
That system would help tenants who live in a building owned by Claudio Di Giambattista at the corner of Outremont and Ball Ave. in Park Extension.
Conditions are terrible in the building, said one tenant, explaining that there are cockroaches, holes in the drywall and mould in the apartment.
"Every night my mother has to pick up plastic and throw it in the sink - because it's leaking every night," said one young tenant who, five months ago, came to live with his parents in the Park Extension building.
"The owner is too old and he can't repair it by himself," he said.
Last year, the city locked down another building owned by Di Giambattista on Stuart St., calling it a health hazard.
So far, the city has not ordered any repairs.
"We tried it once and you saw the tedious work and the legalities and how long it took for us to recuperate the money," said Villeray-St-Michel-Park Extension councillor Mary Deros.
Deros said she isn't ruling out ordering the renovations, but also said the city has also bought clusters of neglected buildings in the past.
"They've turned them over to housing groups and they turn them into social housing and co-op. This may be a potential solution. We're going to look into it and see what is the best way we can find solutions for these properties," she said.
