Montreal mayoral candidate took in illegal security deposit from tenant renting her home

Antoni Nerestant · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 2:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 17 minutes ago

A campaigner moving to go Montreal's adjacent politician collected a information deposit from a tenant who is renting out her household home — a usurpation of Quebec law.

The communicative was archetypal reported by the Journal de Montréal.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the person of Ensemble Montréal, the Official Opposition enactment astatine metropolis hall, has promised to marque lodging much accessible successful the city, precocious dubbing herself arsenic la mairesse du logement, French for "the politician of housing."

When her four-bedroom, semi-detached bungalow successful the city's Saint-Michel neighbourhood was listed successful 2023 with the asking terms of $2,850 per month, the listing stated that the tenant needed to wage a "one period information deposit for the appliances."

"This volition beryllium fixed [back] erstwhile the landlord collects the keys," the listing read.

Article 1904 of the Quebec Civil Code outlines that a landlord whitethorn not "exact immoderate magnitude of wealth different than the rent, successful the signifier of a deposit oregon otherwise."

The listing for the candidate's location besides stated that the tenant would person to hold to wage a $175 cleaning fee, which is besides illegal.

Even though Martinez Ferrada's home has a tenant, the listing can still beryllium viewed on the existent property agent's website, but it doesn't notation thing astir a deposit. CBC News was capable to get the archetypal listing with the stipulation astir the security deposit and the cleaning interest done Centris, a existent property website with a immense inventory of properties connected merchantability and for rent.

Speaking with reporters connected Monday, Martinez Ferrada said she entrusted a existent property cause with listing her property. She described requesting and collecting the information deposit as an "error successful bully faith."

In Quebec, a deposit is lone valid if the tenant pays it voluntarily and without immoderate unit from the landlord.

$1,000 fee, not $2,850, Martinez Ferrada claims

Despite the interest being described successful the listing arsenic a "one month" charge, Martinez Ferrada denied the Journal de Montréal study that the tenant paid her $2,850 — which would beryllium the equivalent of 1 period of rent astatine the terms that was listed.

The mayoral campaigner claims the tenant paid her $1,000 and that the deposit was not for rent but alternatively for appliances that she had purchased for the home.

She said she lone realized she had collected the sum from the tenant aft a writer contacted her astir the situation. She said the wealth has since been fixed backmost to the tenant.

The mayoral campaigner did not code the cleaning interest during her quality league Monday, but a spokesperson for her enactment told CBC News that fee was ne'er charged contempt what was written successful the listing. Only the $1,000 information deposit was charged, the spokesperson said.

"It's a mistake that happens acold excessively often successful Montreal," Martinez Ferrada said Monday. "When mistakes happen, you person to instrumentality work for them."

Martinez Ferrada was elected arsenic the MP for the Hochelaga riding successful 2019. In 2023, she was appointed arsenic the national tourism curate nether Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.

In February this year, she discontinue national authorities with the extremity of becoming Montreal's adjacent mayor. Later that month, she became the person of Ensemble Montréal. She was the lone campaigner successful the race.

On Monday, the campaigner said she would proceed referring to herself arsenic the "mayor of housing." 

"Part of being politician is taking work for your actions and that's what I'm doing today."

No one's supra the law, Projet Montréal person says

In summation to being an MP and Canada's tourism minister, Martinez Ferrada also served arsenic the parliamentary caput for the national lodging minister. 

In this year's municipal elections, she'll beryllium going up against Luc Rabouin, who took implicit from Valérie Plante arsenic the person for Projet Montréal in March.

When asked astir the deposit and fees included successful the listing for Martinez Ferrada's property, Rabouin said nary 1 was supra the law, "especially if you aspire to go the politician of Montreal."

"Two-thirds of Montrealers are tenants and they perfectly request to recognize and judge that the aboriginal politician of Montreal understands their world and volition beryllium determination to support their rights," helium said. 

Quebec's municipal elections volition beryllium held connected Nov. 2. 

WATCH | Martinez Ferrada outlines her imaginativeness for the city: