Montreal landlords worried about recovering cost of replacing lead pipes
Rules around rent increases need to change to allow landlords to keep up, association says
Montreal landlords are worried it could take decades to recover the cost of updating lead plumbing in older buildings because of what some are calling "unfair" and "outdated" laws and regulations around rent increases.
The city has been sending pamphlets in the mail informing owners and residents of buildings constructed prior to 1970 that their plumbing could be made of lead and should be changed to avoid negative health effects, particularly for pregnant women and young children under the age of six.
- Thousands of Montrealers warned about lead pipes in homes
- Montreal's plan for removing lead pipes far behind schedule
Lucy Ravinsky, who owns two rental buildings in Montreal constructed between 1912 and 1951, says it could take up to 32 years to recover the costs of the repairs from her tenants, according to estimates compiled by the Quebec landlords' association.
She says the algorithms used by the Régie du logement to determine rent adjustments "make integral algebra look like Grade 1 math."
'The rules are antiquated'
Murray Borenstein, owner of Borenstein Plumbing and Heating in Lachine, says the cost of repairs for the average residential building is $2,000.
That cost can increase by up to $1,000 more depending on the size of the building, the length and thickness of the pipe used, as well as the amount of excavation necessary to make the upgrade from lead to copper pipes.
The Quebec landlords' association says that its members can increase rent by roughly $2 for every $1,000 according to the Régie's current calculations.
Association spokesperson Kevin Lebeau says these regulations are "antiquated" and haven't been changed since the 1970s.
Lebeau says the added cost of the plumbing repairs leaves small-scale landlords in a difficult position.
"For small landlords who maybe have a triplex that they also live in, it will take a long time to get the money they invest back" says Lebeau.
He says this is the reason why so many rental buildings turn into "dead-end properties" — landlords feel that before they can fully recuperate the cost of one major project, they have to pay for another.
Sharing responsibility
In the information pamphlets, the city says that residents will be informed in advance of work being done to change the public portion of the plumbing and recommends residents update the private section.
But Ravinsky is sceptical the city will be organized in its approach.
She said she is willing to pay for the cost of the repairs on her property, especially since lead presents a health risk, but she has very little faith the municipal government will keep up its end of the bargain
"In the infrastructure in this city, if we don't all cave in one of these days, I'll be thanking God," said Ravinsky. "I just want it to be clear what their responsibility is because sometimes they say they own several feet of land into your property, then something happens and suddenly they don't."
The city had announced a 20-year plan to change all the lead pipes in the city in 2006. By the halfway point of their plan, only 8,000 of the 69,000 identified dwellings have been fixed.