A recent peek at Hydro-Québec data reveals that nearly 25,000 housing units are sitting completely empty right here on the Island of Montreal. Amid our ongoing housing crisis, this massive number has sparked a pretty intense debate, and landlords and tenant advocates are pointing fingers in totally opposite directions.
Landlord groups, like CORPIQ, say the blame falls squarely on red tape and tight regulations. They argue that super slow municipal permit delays, strict rent control rules, and the heavy costs of fixing up older apartments make it tough to get units back on the market. From their point of view, renovating aging spaces just doesn’t make financial sense under current provincial caps.
On the flip side, housing advocates see the high vacancy rate as a total system failure. They accuse some property owners of intentionally keeping apartments empty to cash in on rising real estate values or to loop around rent control laws by letting properties sit. Activists stress that while locals face sky-high rents, housing is being treated like a jackpot investment instead of a place to live.