My landlord is not doing the repairs what can i do?
Short answer
In Quebec, the tenant must first notify the landlord in writing; if the repairs are urgent and necessary and the landlord does not act in due course, the tenant may have them carried out and deduct the reasonable expenses from the rent, with invoices to back it up.
In detail
The process goes step by step. Notify the landlord, preferably by formal notice (mise en demeure), and keep proof that they received it. Give them a reasonable amount of time, except in a genuine emergency.
For an urgent and necessary repair — a major leak or a dangerous electrical problem, for example — the tenant may call in a qualified professional after informing the landlord, or after trying to inform a landlord who cannot be reached. The landlord must reimburse the reasonable expenses on presentation of the invoices, and the tenant may withhold them from upcoming rent even without the tribunal's authorization.
For repairs that are not urgent, you have to go through the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL, Quebec's rental board), which may order the work and award a rent reduction and damages.
What to document
The date and content of each report, the formal notice (mise en demeure) and proof it was received, dated before-and-after photos, the invoices and receipts, and the name of the professional who did the work.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
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Official sources
- TAL — Urgent and necessary repairs
- JuridiQC — Which routine maintenance work is your landlord responsible for
- Éducaloi — A dwelling in poor condition: your remedies
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.