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Comment by Apocryphon | Hacker News Reader

I'm really quite surprised that Montreal lacks the same sort of rent crisis that other cities like the Bay Area (or Vancouver and to some extent Toronto) has. Apparently they've got a surplus of condos for some reason?

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For better or for worse, Quebec is a nation of renters. The rent laws are thus skewed in the favour of tenants. The rental board enforces the laws very strictly. Tenants can refuse rent increases and have many rights that are probably keeping prices down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9gie_du_logement

Interesting. How come there isn't a large influx of people moving into the city?

I think there is? Although we are second to Toronto by numbers.

http://www.statista.com/statistics/443728/canada-immigrants-...

Montreal is still expensive compared to the suburbs. Urban sprawl and congestion on bridges at rush hour is a big problem.

Québec is the most taxed province in all of North America too and salaries are lower than most other places. It's all relative.

It's a buyers market at the moment, you can get some good deals but I still think they're overpriced. Personally looking at Laval (just north of Montreal), where there are 3 metro stations and the train. It's cheaper and I'm betting on properties to increase in value in the coming years.

However should I make more money, I'd definitely stay in Montreal. I think I'd miss walking around shopping for groceries, going to restaurants etc. I hate commuting in cars.

I love Laval, used to lived there when I was younger but prices have become too high for me so I went a little more north to Saint-Eustache.

They also have rent controls to a degree. If you are in a rental they can only bump the rent ~5% per anum. Sad for the bankers and rentiers.

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