Major Residential Renovation

Who is eligible for financial assistance?

Any individual or legal entity with a right of ownership over a building that meets the following requirements is eligible (provided all other program conditions are met):

• The building was constructed or converted into a residential building at least 20 years ago.
• The building is rundown, i.e. it includes at least one important component requiring substantial renovation.
• The cost of the work required on the building exceeds the amounts fixed by the program.
• The average property value per unit—land and building—does not exceed the amounts fixed by the program (see chart "Building Eligibility").

For some families, a residential building with two or three above-ground dwelling units is eligible, regardless of its property value or location in Montréal, if the owner was granted financial assistance under the Ville de Montréal Home Ownership program, and provided it meets program requirements and the owner applies for financial assistance within three years of its purchase.

What types of work are eligible?

For renovation projects:

The work must include the substantial renovation of one of the following components of the building: structure, foundation, electrical system, plumbing, cladding or doors and windows. Work in one of these key areas is required to make the building eligible for financial assistance; however, work to correct any non-compliance with applicable by-laws and to rehabilitate the various components of the building is mandatory. When such work is completed, financial assistance can then be granted for work to upgrade and improve the units, for example:

• changing their number, designing a more functional layout, updating kitchens and bathrooms, and improving heat or sound insulation;
• increasing the volume of the building by up to 50 % of the existing floor area to add dwellings or rooms;
• performing work on the non-residential section of a mixed-use building, provided this section accounts for less than 50 % of the building's total floor area;
• developing new units in the non-residential section of a mixed-use building.

The work must result in the rehabilitation of a building and its compliance with all applicable by-laws.

For demolition-reconstruction projects:

For the most rundown buildings that must be demolished, the demolition work and reconstruction of a new residential building are eligible for financial assistance up to a floor area equivalent to twice the floor area of the demolished building. The following conditions apply:

• Only rental residential buildings are eligible.
• The building to be demolished must have been completely vacant for at least one year at the time of the application for financial assistance or it must be under a demolition order from the borough.
• The established cost of work must exceed by at least 25 % the maximum eligible amounts (see chart of "Maximum Eligible Amounts" below).

Following the demolition of a rundown building, the non residential section of a new mixed-use building may also be eligible if it accounts for less than 50 % of the building's total floor area.

For all projects, the owner cannot receive financial assistance form other sources for the same work unless it is to improve the building's energy efficiency or to replace a heating system.

Eligibility of Buildings and Project Types by Location

The following chart describes certain program eligibility criteria such as the status of the buildings, the types of intervention by territory and the minimum established cost of necessary work:

Building Eligibility

Buildings		Maximum property value per unit (land and building)	Designated sectors	Outside designated sectors
				Occupied building	Vacant building
Residential building with 1 dwelling unit1	Occupied	$223,000	Yes	No	Yes
	Vacant3	$256,450
Residential building with 2 dwelling units1	Occupied	$159,000
	Vacant3	$182,850
Residential building with 3 dwelling units1	Occupied	$123,000
	Vacant3	$141,450
Residential building with 4 dwelling units1	Occupied	$102,000
	Vacant3	$117,300
Residential building with 5 dwelling units1	Occupied	$91,000
	Vacant3	$104,650
Residential building with 6 to 8 dwelling units	Occupied	$72,000
	Vacant3	$82,800
Residential building with 9 dwelling units or more2	Occupied	$69,000
	Vacant3	$79,350
Mixed-use building with 1 to 8 dwelling units	Occupied	$72,000
	Vacant3	$82,800
Mixed-use building with 9 dwelling units or more2	Occupied	$69,000
	Vacant3	$79,350
Apartment building with 12 dwelling units or more	Occupied	$53,000		Yes
	Vacant3	$60,950
Building that is part of a real-estate complex	Occupied	$54,000
	Vacant3	$62,100

¹ For this type of building, basement dwellings are not considered in the calculation of the number of units or the average property value per dwelling.

² Excluding apartment buildings and buildings that are part of a real-estate complex. An apartment building is a building constructed between 1950 and 1980, with four residential levels or less, a common entrance and no elevator. An apartment building can also have a commercial use in addition to its residential use. A real-estate complex is a group of apartment buildings that are part of the same unit of assessment on the property assessment roll and includes at least 90 dwelling units.

³ A vacant building is eligible if it is entirely vacant at the time of the application for financial assistance. In addition, the cost of work required to upgrade the building in accordance with the applicable codes and by-laws as well as market conditions must exceed the maximum eligible amount considered for the calculation of the financial assistance.

What territory does the program cover?

In the designated sectors, all residential and mixed-use buildings are eligible.

To know if a building is situated in a designated sector, consult the scrolling list or contact the Direction de l'habitation at 514-872-4630.

Select a designated sector: Cartierville Côte-des-Neiges Mountain Sights Upper-Lachine Provost et Vieux Lachine Chemin du Canal Saint-Pierre Village-des-Rapides Les Oblats Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Montréal-Nord - zone est Montréal-Nord - zone ouest Iberville Petite-Patrie Saint-Laurent Côte-Saint-Paul/Ville Émard Pointe-Saint-Charles Saint-Henri Verdun-Centre/Crawford Centre-Sud Villeray Parc-Extension René Goupil et Saint-Michel nord Saint-Michel sud

Outside the designated sectors, the following are eligible:

• Vacant residential or mixed-used buildings (conditions apply for vacant buildings)
• Apartment buildings with 12 dwelling units or more
• Buildings that are part of a real-estate complex

What is the amount of financial assistance?

Owners are granted a percentage of the cost of work as established by the Ville de Montréal, up to the maximum eligible amount per unit, which varies according to the type of dwelling.

Maximum Eligible Amounts

Type of dwelling	Area	Maximum eligible cost of work
Studio	< 46.5 m2 ( < 501 ft2)	$30,000
3 1/2	46.6 m2 to 65 m2 (502 ft2 to 700 ft2 )	$40,000
4 1/2	65.1 m2 to 84 m2 (701 ft2 to 904 ft2 )	$50,000
5 1/2	84.1 m2 to 102 m2 (905 ft2 to 1098 ft2 )	$56,250
6 1/2	> 102.1 m2 (> 1099 ft2 )	$63,500
Non-residential section		$456 a m2 ($42.36 a ft2)

The maximum eligible cost of work may be increased, under certain conditions, when the project includes one or more of the following items:

• the demolition of an accessory building;
• the consolidation of foundations affected by subsidence (replacement of foundations, installation of piles);
• the improvement of security in certain types of buildings (apartment buildings with 12 units or more, a building that is part of a real-estate complex and rooming houses).

Related expenses are also considered in the financial assistance calculation, up to 15 % of the established cost of work. The percentage of financial assistance varies according to several factors:

Percentage of Financial Assistance

Types of buildings, work and applicants	Percentage of financial assistance	Type of project
		Renovation of a rental building 2	Demolition-reconstruction of a rental building
Work on the owner’s dwelling unit in a residential building with 2 to 5 units	Max. of 75 % 1	Yes	Yes
Work on units in a building where pre-renovation rents are lower than a maximum established by by-law	60 %
Work on other rental dwelling units	50 %

¹ The financial assistance can reach 75 % of the maximum eligible cost of work but the rate of financial assistance is adjusted so the owner meets at least 33 % of the total cost of the project.

² It is also possible to renovate buildings without rental units if it is a single-unit building (single-family home). The percentage of financial assistance is then 40 %.

Are there any specific program requirements?

• Owners must prove their ability to finance their share of the project's costs.
• The work must be performed under the complete responsibility of a general contractor duly licensed by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. An owner-builder license is not acceptable.
• In some cases, the work must be supervised by an architect and an engineer.
• Only work to completely upgrade the dwellings and to make them compliant with all applicable by-laws is considered in the cost of work used to determine the eligibility of the project.
• When a rental building is occupied, the landlord must sign an agreement with a majority of the tenants specifying the conditions under which renovations will take place (nature of work, compensation, tenant relocation period, rent to be charged once work is completed, etc.). Without such an agreement, the procedure of the Régie du logement applies.
• The work must begin within three months of the city’s approval and be completed within 12 months.
• The work must be carried out in accordance with the Construction Code and relevant by-laws.

N.B. No work should be undertaken before financial assistance is approved and required permits are issued, otherwise financial assistance will be cancelled. After the application is submitted and before financial assistance is approved, urgent work to correct conditions posing a safety hazard to occupants must first be authorized by the Direction de l’habitation.

What are the owner’s obligations?

• For a period of five years from the last financial assistance payment, the owner must maintain the residential nature of the building or of the section of the building for which financial assistance was granted.
• The resident landlord must continue to occupy the dwelling for at least three years following the payment of the financial assistance.
• For rental housing, the landlord agrees to respect certain rent control measures after the work has been completed.

These obligations will be included in the Land register for the benefit of any potential buyer. Owners who fail to respect their obligations will have to reimburse part or all of the financial assistance.

What is the procedure to apply?

The application must be submitted in person at a borough office or at the reception desk of the Direction de l’habitation of the Ville de Montréal located at 303, rue Notre-Dame Est, 4^th Floor, 514 872-4630. Applicants will be asked to provide other documents later in the process.

How much does it cost to apply?

The fees to apply for financial assistance were revised on January, 2012.

Non-reimbursable application review fees of $435 plus $62 a dwelling, for a maximum of $4,328, including taxes, are required once the project is considered eligible (after an inspection visit). A cheque to cover half of the cost is required when the list of work to be done is submitted. A second cheque to cover the other half of the cost is required when the project is approved. Permit fees must also be considered.

N.B. There are fees of $35 to recover a cheque refused by a financial institution.