Watch out for fake eviction notices, says Quebec's rental board

Quebec's rental board, the Rgie du logement, is warning tenants about fake eviction noticescirculatingin the province.

"These notices contain information that is not in compliancewith the lawand will likely misleadtenants about their rights," said the Rgie du logement in a statement on its website.

If in doubt, the rental boardsays, tenants can ask for a ruling onwhether a notice is valid.

The statement comes after CBCNews reportedlast week that a group of tenantsin a Saint-Henri rooming house received a counterfeiteviction notice with the same font and designtheRgie du logement uses in its official notices.

Thenotice, handed totenants of 4003 Notre-Dame Street Weston June 1,claimed the owner of the building needed to carry out major work, andtenants had until the end of the month to find somewhere else to live.

"It didn't make sense," Jean Denault, one of the tenants, said last week."Most of the people here are on welfare."

"They're basically trying to put people out on the street."

In a statement to CBC News, the rental boardsaid Fridayit has formally ordered the landlord to cease sending all eviction notices that resemble its official ones.

Montreal is facingits lowestvacancy rate in more than a decade, prompting concern the city is approaching a housing crisis.

What renters need to know

Under the law, a landlord must give six months' notice before the expiry of a lease, or six months before the eviction date if a tenant holds a lease with an indeterminate term.

If a building must be vacated temporarily for major construction work, a landlord must give tenantsthree months' notice.

To undertake major work, a landlordmust offer compensation equal to theexpenses the tenant will incur.

Thenotice must also inform the tenant the nature of the work, the date when the work is set to start, the work's estimated durationand the compensation offered.

The tenant is legally allowed to return to a clean unitonce the work is done, and the landlord may not raise the rent.

If a tenant fails to let the landlord know whether they intend to comply with a temporary eviction notice within 10 days, the landlord may ask the rental board to rule on the matter.