These Châteauguay, Que., tenants say their landlord is cashing in by pushing them out

A radical of tenants connected Montreal's South Shore are accusing their caller landlord of pushing them to permission their apartments and they accidental his behaviour is grounds of a concern exemplary that makes wealth astatine the disbursal of low-income, susceptible people. 

They accidental their landlord, Yosef Rabi, bought the gathering astatine 144 de Gaspé Street West from a societal lodging non-profit successful December, and tried to propulsion radical out, hike the rents and extract equity from the spot arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

"He doesn't attraction astir the tenants astatine all," Alain Gagnon, 1 of the tenants, said astatine a quality league connected Friday. "He acquires buildings, helium raises rents. The gathering increases successful worth and that's however helium makes his profit."

Gagnon is 1 of 13 tenants who person filed proceedings with Quebec's lodging tribunal, the TAL, to either contention lease cancellations they already signed, alleging they were invalid and abusive, oregon alleging harassment by Rabi.  

They are represented by lawyer Manuel Johnson, who specializes successful cases involving tenants and renovictions. He said they privation the TAL to grant punitive and motivation damages to "send a connection to the caller proprietor that it's not close to effort to person radical to determination retired erstwhile they person each close to enactment successful their homes."

The proceedings filed earlier this period with the TAL allege Rabi harassed and intimidated the tenants, telling them they needed to permission their apartments wherever they wage precise debased rents — immoderate of them betwixt $800 and $900 — due to the fact that the building's wiring is simply a occurrence hazard and needs to beryllium redone. 

The proceedings accidental Rabi misled the tenants, that helium exaggerated the standard of the enactment that needed to beryllium done, did not pass them of their close to enactment successful their apartments and pressured them into signing lease cancellations. 

The proceedings besides accidental that since helium bought the building, it has deteriorated: the heating failed successful January, the gathering has not been cleaned, blistery h2o heaters are not moving and nary snowfall clearing was done. 

A justice has yet to perceive their lawsuit and their allegations person not been tested successful court.

'No 1 was forced,' landlord says

In effect to emailed questions, Rabi said helium was not evicting the tenants, alternatively helium was performing indispensable repairs and had travel to a "mutual agreement" with tenants to permission astatine the extremity of their lease. He said helium offered compensation to immoderate of them. 

"Not each tenants agreed to determination retired — immoderate did, others didn't — but nary 1 was forced," helium wrote. "For those who take to stay, we are readying to relocate them to different apartments wrong the gathering during the renovations. Once the enactment is complete, they'll beryllium capable to instrumentality to their archetypal units."

He said helium is not progressive successful immoderate benignant of existent property speculation — buying properties with the anticipation that their worth volition admit importantly successful a abbreviated clip — and said helium would contention immoderate suit that argued the tenants were forced out, calling the accusation a prevarication that could not beryllium proven. 

"We bought that gathering that was successful a precise atrocious signifier and we are investing a batch of wealth into it to marque it comfy for our tenants and bring it up to the norms established by the assorted codes governing this benignant of building," helium wrote. 

'Clearly it's fiscal speculation,' lawyer says

Rabi acquired the gathering astatine 144 de Gaspé successful December, buying it from SOLIDES, a non-profit lodging developer that focuses connected societal lodging and gathering and maintaining properties for low-income tenants.

SOLIDES sold the spot due to the fact that they were successful a fiscal bind, their interim director-general, Elie Gravel told the Soleil de Chateauguay successful January. 

Rabi bought the spot for $4.6 cardinal connected Dec. 17, 2024 — utilizing a numbered company, 9529-8162 Quebec inc., for which helium is the sole director.

Property records amusement that aforesaid month, Rabi took retired a $3.2 cardinal owe connected the spot with Westmount Capital Mortgage Corporation Inc. astatine 25 per cent involvement per year. 

"If you're paying 25 per cent involvement you're going to privation to merchantability arsenic soon arsenic possible," said Johnson, who represents the tenants who filed the lawsuit. "Clearly it's fiscal speculation that's involved. I deliberation that's beauteous clear." 

On April 30, 2025, a fewer months aft Rabi bought the building, helium took retired a antithetic mortgage, this clip with Computershare Trust Company of Canada, for $4.74 cardinal astatine 10 per cent interest. He utilized that owe to wage disconnected the earlier 25 per cent mortgage.

Property records amusement Rabi owns oregon co-owns astatine slightest 18 properties, astir of them successful Montreal. The mortgages connected those properties, according to publically disposable records, amusement a signifier of buying properties and taking retired mortgages astatine precise precocious rates — sometimes 25 per cent similar successful the lawsuit of 144 de Gaspé — against the worth of the property. 

Johnson said that, successful general, existent property speculators who get astatine precocious rates are funny successful flipping their properties quickly, oregon astatine slightest are funny successful clearing retired tenants who are paying debased rents.

"To maine it's a reddish emblem for an cognition of existent property speculation: 'I'm going to instrumentality the credit, I'm going to leverage it, rise the rents by getting the aged tenants retired who are paying debased rent,'" helium said. "That's going to rise the worth of the building. Then you tin spell and get caller wealth connected the caller worth of the building."

Landlord 'acted fraudulently' successful antithetic TAL case

In April, the TAL ruled against Rabi, saying that helium "acted fraudulently and successful a deliberate mode toward a tenant." It is unclear astatine which gathering the tenant lived. 

In that case, a tenant receiving a rent supplement from the Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal (OMHM) was told her rent was expanding and that her heating and blistery h2o would nary longer beryllium included successful the rent — she was told she would person to permission her flat if she refused. Rabi had sent her a missive suggesting that the rent summation came from the OMHM, erstwhile it had not.

The lodging tribunal justice cancelled the increase, awarded the tenant damages and went further, saying "the landlord's behaviour was inexcusable and reprehensible due to the fact that helium tried to instrumentality unfair vantage of a susceptible person." The judgement was rendered by default due to the fact that neither Rabi nor a typical appeared.

Michel Dormoy, a tenant who has lived astatine 144 de Gaspé for 4 years, said helium refused to motion documents cancelling his lease due to the fact that rents are excessively precocious elsewhere. He presently pays $850 a period for his apartment. 

He said he's taking portion successful the tenants' suit due to the fact that helium wants to enactment successful his apartment. 

"I anticipation we win. I can't spend $1,500, $1,400 a month. I'm going to beryllium connected the street," helium said. "It's a atrocious situation."

Gagnon, the different tenant, who is connected a rent supplement program, said helium wants punitive damages for the accent helium says helium has endured. But helium said helium has already secured a antithetic flat acknowledgment to the section lodging bureau and is moving retired astatine the extremity of the month.

"In a definite way, they already won due to the fact that … they're raising the rents truthful the gathering has much value," helium said. "They'll marque tons much wealth connected that."