Montreal landlords worried about recovering cost of replacing lead pipes

Montreal landlords are worried it could takedecades to recover the cost of updating lead plumbing in older buildings because of what some are calling "unfair" and "outdated" laws and regulations around rent increases.

The city has been sending pamphlets in the mail informing owners and residentsof buildings constructed prior to 1970 that their plumbing could be made of lead and should be changed to avoid negative health effects, particularly for pregnant women and young children under the age ofsix.

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Lucy Ravinsky, whoownstwo rental buildings in Montreal constructedbetween 1912 and 1951, says it could take up to 32 yearsto recover the costs of the repairs from her tenants, according to estimatescompiled by the Quebec landlords'association.

She says the algorithms used by the Rgie du logementtodetermine rent adjustments"make integral algebra look like Grade 1math."

'The rules are antiquated'

MurrayBorenstein,owner ofBorensteinPlumbing and Heating inLachine, says the cost of repairs for theaverage residential building is $2,000.

Thatcost can increase byup to$1,000 moredepending on thesize of the building, the length andthickness of the pipe used, as well as the amount of excavation necessary to make the upgrade from lead to copper pipes.

The Quebec landlords' association says that its members can increase rent by roughly $2 for every $1,000 according to the Rgie'scurrent calculations.

Association spokespersonKevinLebeausays these regulations are"antiquated"and haven'tbeen changed since the1970s.

Lebeau says the added cost of the plumbing repairs leavessmall-scale landlordsin a difficult position.

"For small landlords who maybe have a triplexthat they also live in, it will take a long time to get the money they invest back" says Lebeau.

He saysthis is thereasonwhy so many rental buildings turn into "dead-end properties" landlordsfeel that before they can fully recuperate the cost of one major project, they have to pay for another.

Sharing responsibility

In the information pamphlets, the city says that residents will be informed in advance of work being done to change the public portion of the plumbing andrecommends residents update the private section.

ButRavinskyis sceptical the city will be organized in its approach.

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She said she is willing to pay for the cost of the repairs on her property, especially since lead presents a health risk, but she has very little faith the municipal government will keepup itsend of the bargain

"In the infrastructure in this city, if we don't all cave in one of these days, I'll be thanking God," said Ravinsky. "I just want it to be clear what their responsibility is because sometimes they say they own several feet of land into your property, then something happens and suddenly they don't."

The city had announced a 20-year plan to change all the lead pipes in the city in 2006. By the halfway point oftheir plan, only8,000 of the 69,000 identified dwellings have been fixed.