While most Canadians were celebrating the birth of their country, many Quebec tenants were busy moving.

Since 1974, July 1 has become the province’s iconic ‘moving day.’ Although there is room for negotiation, most leases expire on July 1.

The year 1974 also saw the birth of the Régie du Logement du Québec, the regulatory agency that oversees rental housing. Despite its neutral facade, the Régie is highly skewed in favour of tenants and creates havoc for apartment owners.

It is especially problematic when a property owner wants to increase the rent. Each year, the Régie publishes its province-wide estimate of rent increases. It barely takes into account such local variations as municipal taxes, which have dramatically increased since the municipal mergers of 2002.

With these estimates in hand, a tenant can refuse to pay an increase. If the parties can’t reach an agreement, they have to go before a Régie tribunal. In other words, the owner has to justify how he manages his property.

This justification can also be required when an owner wants to modify his property. The Régie’s bylaws strictly regulate demolition: a single tenant can complain to the Régie in order to stop the process. Once the complaint is received, the Régie checks whether the demolition respects the “public” as well as both parties’ interest. It can also impose conditions on the demolition, of up to three months’ compensation for tenants, including their moving fees.

The existence of such regulations shouldn’t be a surprise. Too many people in Quebec still think they have a right to other people’s property. This mentality is reflected by the FRAPRU, a coalition of community organizations which claim that housing is a right and that government must intervene to guarantee it.

This is precisely the problem. One does not have a right to a house or apartment. It remains a product. The owner is the sole person capable of determining the ‘right’ price for his apartments: if the price is too high or if the dwellings are poorly maintained, no one will rent. It is therefore in the owner’s self-interest to be competitive and offer the best product.

Unfortunately, this concept isn’t grasped by many Quebecers.