Everyone is tired of it, sighs Youssef, resident of 90, rue Crépeau, in the borough of Saint-Laurent. Since the building was purchased on March 31 by Investissements Crepeau Deguire SEC, a company owned by Mr. Zavriyev, Youssef said he was under pressure to leave his home. The story is similar to 95 rue Deguire, a building acquired at the same time.

And the pressures are not new, according to some tenants. In the days following the sale, two representatives of Investissements Crepeau Deguire SEC, David Mimoun and Avi Elkeslassy, ​​began meeting with the hundred tenants of these two towers of 77 apartments to invite them to leave before September 2022, due to the main task. . that the company plans to do there.

Two options are submitted to tenants, the latter will report to us. Option 1 consists of finding temporary accommodation during employment and then returning to the renovated accommodation, but at a higher rent based on the amount of jobs and inflation. Option 2, which managers favor, tenants say: leave your residence with the equivalent, in your pocket, of a few months rent as compensation.

Options not everyone wants. “They offered me $ 8,000 cash to leave, but I refused, ”explains Youssef, who has lived in 90 Crépeau for over 25 years. Her rent is currently $ 710 for a 3.

Like Youssef, Ismahan, Marin and Fouad, tenants we spoke to, also declined the offer from the landlord and they have no plans to leave right now.

Fixed housing in apartments top of the line

Real estate entrepreneur Henry Zavriyev was not his first success in the field. He recently made headlines for similar reasons about seniors ’residences at Mont-Carmel and Château Beaurivage, which his companies acquired. The buildings in Deguire and Crépeau were not the only ones he bought in the Saint-Laurent sector.

The adjacent building, 70 rue Crépeau, has also been owned by Henry Zavriyev since April. This building was renovated by the former owner, Topo Immobilier, who also forced tenants to leave their homes because of work.

Some apartments in 70 Crépeau are currently being rented by the new company Investissements Crépeau Deguire SEC $ 1650/month for 12 months instead of $ 1950! Upscale condo-style 2-bedroom apartmentcan we read the recent online announcement of 5 ½ for building rent.

The impressive amounts that the tenants of 90 Crépeau and 95 Deguire dread, when the renovations are completed.

People can’t pay $ 1,200, $ 1,400 in rent, Youssef exclaimed. They want tenants to leave to raise rent. Meanwhile, he says, they are not making any repairs.

Maria Vasquez, general manager of the Saint-Laurent housing committee, who saw the pressure at the time by the Topo immobilier, is now trying to accompany the tenants of these two towers to explain their rights and possible remedies. Administrative Housing Tribunal.

” When there is a problem with big work and disguised eviction, we try to provide the clearest possible information to the tenant. But some accept the agreement, without thinking for a long time. “

Disruption of services

90 Crépeau and 95 Deguire, until recently owned by Topo Immobilier, have not been maintained for many years, according to residents. On our visit, we saw broken stairs, broken windows, cracks in the garage columns, one of the two elevators of the condemned 95 Deguire. Empty apartments that were in a state of dissatisfaction were abandoned.

But the situation has worsened since the new owners arrived, according to tenants.

I feel embarrassed, stressed, we are under intense pressureexclaimed Safia, one of the tenants of 95 Deguire. Since the new owner arrived, no one has been working on this building, he said. Water is often cut off, electricity too, they remove carpets, sewers run in the garage. Before, it wasn’t like that, there were problems, but now it’s getting worse fast.

According to him, it is pressure to encourage residents to leave their apartments as soon as possible.

In April, the elevator in the 4-storey, 77-unit building was out of order for two weeks. My old neighbor, who was on all fours, had to climb stairssaid Safia.

According to Geneviève Bouchard, a spokeswoman for the borough, eight complaints were filed about the elevator, the first being received on April 21. Only on May 4 were services restored, after a call and two visits from city inspectors.

Nazir, aged 90, welcomed us into his apartment. He lived 10 years in 95 Deguire. He told me he wanted to stayexplained Hussein, another resident present at the meeting. He could not move, impossible. It was a great sadness for him to see everyone leave. He added: He hasn’t really been able to take a bath for over a year because the repairs haven’t been done yet.

Lawyer Antoine Morneau-Sénéchal, author of the book Renting accommodationseen in this way of making a kind of psychological warfare. We try to prevent tenants from staying. They were told: “If you stay, it will be hell”. The more people leave, the more it gives the owners a balance of power.

If a person temporarily leaves for work, on his return, it is not true that the landlord can put up rents in enormous amounts, he wants to point out. Yes, there will be a rent increase, but it will be governed by regulations and the tenant will be able to compete.

No pressure was exerted, according to a building manager

We contacted Henry Zavriyev for an interview. He referred us to David Mimoun, project manager for his company. And Mr. Mimoun is categorized: work is needed in both buildings.

When we got the buildings, we received the City’s guilt book which was over 50 pages, he explained. They are not maintained.

About $ 20 million has been budgeted for the works, according to Mimoun, and their duration is estimated at 10 months. We will start doing small jobs that do not require a permit.he added to explain the fact that carpets had been removed on all floors.

Regarding the elevator being blocked for two weeks at 95 Deguire, Mr. Mimoun explained that the building’s drains were completely blocked and water was rising on the elevator shaft. So the plumbing problem needs to be fixed first, which will take time.

Otherwise, he denied any harassment done to the tenants. This is how the world feels, and that’s normal. But we have specifications for repairs to be done with deadlines that must be met. We are in a pretty delicate situation.

He clearly stated to give tenants two options: Ay [on leur donne] the notice of major renovations, either we offer them a transaction, a peaceful termination of the lease, and then it’s their choice, their decision.

If the tenant chooses to stay, he explains to her that he is will be able to return to their residence and pay the same price as they pay now. However, everything may change when the lease is renewed.

We will send out the renewal notice followed by the rent increase, David Mimoun explained. Then, whether the tenant accepts or refuses, it is his decision. And we, for our part, will have all the necessary supporting documents to justify this increase, and ultimately the Administrative Housing Tribunal will have the final say.

Asked about ambitions to turn the two buildings into high-end, condo-style apartments, as announced for 70 Crépeau, he replied: Even if it means being on tasks, we will do good work, hard work.

A repetitive approach of the owner

Henry Zavriyev is known on housing committees in Montreal.

It rages everywhere in Montreal, in the Plateau, in Pointe-Saint-Charles, in Ville-Marie, in Saint-Laurent… supports Gaétan Roberge, from the Ville-Marie Housing Committee. He buys buildings at a certain age, with a certain potential, and the rents are relatively low.

Gaétan Roberge accompanied the elders of the RPA du Mont-Carmel. These are bullying skills. Ushers showed up at the seniors ’gates at 7 am

He also remembers what happened at 2421-2439 De Maisonneuve, buildings purchased by Henry Zavriyev in 2019. It’s always the same approach. He gets the building, they go to the people one by one, and tell them: “I need to renovate, you need to leave”. He starts to offer amounts of money. In the long run, when half gives up, we start work, making noise, making a fuss.

I had to accompany tenants recently on boulevard Pie IX and on rue Bélanger whose block was purchased in March 2022 by Gestion Roxbury, a company attached to Henry Zavriyevsaid Céline Camus, project manager at Office Info Logement in Saint-Michel.

The skills are questionable to say the least, he argues. The landlord’s negotiation, David Mimoun, presents himself to tenants almost days after the purchase to sign the poorest tenants agreements to leave them, with urgency and misinformation, such as the main task.

These two cases have been the subject of media articles.

In collaboration with Daniel Boily