Montreal tightens the screw to the owners of vacant buildings

Montreal intends to tighten the screws on the owners of vacant buildings in order to curb the deterioration of unoccupied buildings on its territory.

Montreal intends to tighten the screws on the owners of vacant buildings in order to curb the deterioration of unoccupied buildings on its territory. The owners will have to register their empty building in the register created by the metropolis and ensure its maintenance, failing which they will be exposed to hefty fines.

The City wanted to dust off its building maintenance bylaw, which has been in effect since 2007, but the proposed changes were so significant that it decided to develop a new bylaw.

Montreal has approximately 800 vacant buildings, 150 of which are of heritage interest. Presented Thursday, the new by-law will require owners to register their unoccupied building each year and ensure the good condition of seven components - the exterior envelope, exterior elements, structure, openings, backwater valves and plumbing equipment and heating equipment.

The owners will also be required to keep the heating at a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius. In the case of heritage buildings, the owners will have to make a statement indicating the condition of their building. For owners who neglect their property or who contravene the regulations, heavier fines will be imposed, up to $250,000 in the case of heritage buildings.

“In Montreal, there are owners who maintain their buildings well, even if the stock is aging. But for those who want to let them go, we have news for them: we have new regulations, they have teeth and we will apply them,” said Robert Beaudry, head of urban planning on the executive committee, during the a press conference held with his colleague responsible for culture and heritage, Ericka Alneus.

The by-law will also apply to municipal buildings and those belonging to para-municipal corporations, such as the Municipal Housing Office, which owns several barricaded buildings. But the City will not be able to give itself fines, noted Mr. Beaudry.

The municipal administration has not yet determined the cost of registering empty buildings in its register, but the amount will not have a “deterrent” objective and will mainly be used to cover administrative costs, it is said.

The new regulation would have given more leverage to the City of Montreal to crack down on the owner of the Jaeger building, whose instability has forced the closure of a section of Sainte-Catherine Street West in the city center for the past month. , emphasizes Robert Beaudry. The regulations also aim to counter the negligence of certain owners, who voluntarily let their heritage building deteriorate until the City orders their demolition given their decrepitude, he explained.

The boroughs will be called upon to apply the new regulation, but it will not be necessary for them to hire more inspectors, according to the elected official. “This regulation does not add charges. It really comes to give more opportunities, ”says Robert Beaudry.