Reflecting on housing to preserve our Quebec model
We cannot address today’s crisis with yesterday’s tools. The crisis has taken on a new face: preservation, costs and vulnerability. CORPIQ is proposing a concrete roadmap for the next government, built around 4 priorities and 12 measures, all serving one objective: preserving the affordability of Quebec’s housing model.
Quebec’s housing model in a few key figures
163,119
2.2M
38.2%
32.1 G$
135,000
8.7 G$
88%
9.9 G$
Building, yes. Preserving, too.
For years, one response has dominated the housing debate: build more. The need is real, but it overshadows another. While we count housing starts, the rental stock that already houses the majority of Quebec tenants is aging faster than it is being renovated, renovation costs are soaring, and the most vulnerable households are losing ground.
Building remains necessary, but it is not enough: when the existing housing stock is allowed to deteriorate, affordability quietly disappears year after year. CORPIQ is proposing a shift in approach: from volume to continuity, from focusing solely on construction to preserving what makes Quebec distinct.
Taking action on four fronts
Affordability is a shared challenge: no one is immune, and there is no single solution. CORPIQ is therefore proposing action across four complementary areas.
Housing governance: plan, coordinate and live better together
Make decisions based on real needs through data-driven governance. We propose creating a Quebec Housing Observatory, giving the Minister responsible for Housing genuine coordination (Quebec Housing Roundtable), and reforming the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) to improve access to rental housing justice.
Major renovation initiative: renovate now, house better
The most affordable housing is the housing that already exists: it cannot be rebuilt at today’s prices. We propose a 30% refundable “Sustainable Housing” tax credit, an overhaul of existing programs to better meet the needs of multi-unit housing, and the exclusion of rental housing renovations from the scope of the R-20 Act.
Living better together by adapting our tools
Better prevent and address situations of vulnerability without shifting responsibilities that belong to the government onto landlords.
We propose ensuring that housing assistance follows the individual rather than the unit, creating a single prevention service to enable earlier intervention when a situation becomes precarious, and establishing a Rental Security Fund administered by an independent third party.
Succession: preparing the next generation of landlords
Support the next generation of local landlords rather than the concentration of the rental housing stock. We propose an acquisition tax credit for the next generation of landlords, a 10-year tax deferral for family transfers, and a tax deferral when proceeds are reinvested in rental housing.
“Housing will be a major issue in the upcoming election campaign. Landlords are proposing meaningful measures that should resonate with political parties: strengthening our local economy, better supporting vulnerable people, encouraging succession in the real estate sector and reducing bureaucracy.”
Nathalie Mercier, CORPIQ's General Manager
“The existing rental housing stock is the most affordable housing we have — we will never be able to build new housing at such low costs. Renovating it is therefore not an expense; it is an affordability policy.”
Éric Sansoucy - CORPIQ's Spokesperson
