Chử Mộng Khánh Linh was coming back home from a medical appointment when she saw smoke in the distance.

“I said, ‘Oh my God, hopefully it’s not my house,” said Chử, who goes by Lily.

As she got closer, she realized it was her building in Montreal’s Verdun borough that was on fire.

She immediately began to worry about her son. When she left that morning, he was still sleeping. She tried calling him, but he didn’t pick up.

“He’s my life. He’s my everything,” said Chử, 64.

Thankfully, Chử's adult son was OK. But the apartment where she’d lived for nearly 20 years was not.

Chử did not have renter’s insurance. 

“It impacted me very hard because I lost everything,” she said.

More than a dozen apartment units across four buildings on the same street in Verdun were affected by two separate fires between July and October 2024. Since then, the two buildings on the left were sold, renovated and converted into undivided condos. (Submitted by Lily Chử)

The fire at Chử's building in July 2024 created a domino effect, damaging the buildings on either side of it. Then, a few months later, while one of those buildings was empty and being repaired, it caught fire and damaged a fourth.

In all, tenants from four adjoining buildings were evacuated. Two of the buildings are still being repaired and remain empty.

The other two properties, including Chử's block, were sold to a company that specializes in renovations following a fire. Those rental apartments were converted into undivided condos. At least four of the six units have already been sold. Chử's old apartment, which she rented for $650 a month, was sold for $480,000.

Housing rights groups say this situation shows how weak protections following a fire can lead to tenants being permanently displaced — and neighbourhoods reshaped. 

Fire sale?

After the fire, the Red Cross put Chử and her son up at a downtown hotel. They were then moved into a student residence for a few months. 

What remained of her belongings, including important documents and photos, were stuck inside the apartment, which the city had boarded up. 

Her landlord, who had also lived in the building, was difficult to find. To help track him down, Chử engaged the help of a housing rights group and several community organizations. 

Lily Chử's apartment was damaged by a fire in July 2024. She lost many of her belongings. (Submitted by Lily Chử)

When Chử finally managed to speak to her landlord in mid-September, 11 weeks after the fire, he told her he’d sold her apartment block and the one beside it to Construction Ouellette.

Eager to retrieve her possessions, Chử called the construction company, in the presence of a case worker, to find out if it was safe for her to enter the building. She was told to come and get her items as soon as possible because the company planned to demolish the building less than a week later.

When she asked if someone could let her into the apartment, she was told she could remove the boards herself with a drill and enter at her own risk. 

“But I told him I don't have anything. I don't have money, I don't have nothing. How can I go and get my stuff?” said Chử.

The Comité d'action des Citoyennes et Citoyens de Verdun (CACV) and a community case worker immediately contacted Verdun’s inspection department. In emails Chử shared with CBC, they told the inspector they were worried the owner was trying to intimidate Chử — and perhaps trying to get her to renounce her rights to the apartment.

In those emails, the city inspector confirmed the building was not being demolished and encouraged the people helping Chử to make sure her rights were respected.

By law, tenants are able to hold onto their lease after a fire, unless the building is a total or substantial loss.

Chử says she never signed anything agreeing to terminate her lease. 

In a phone call with Ian Ouellette, who owns Construction Ouellette, he told CBC it was “not true” his company intimidated Chử. 

“Everything was done in accordance with current regulations and laws,” said Ouellette. 

When CBC asked whether the tenants in the two buildings had signed a document terminating their lease, he would not comment and declined to answer any other questions.

‘Chasing fire trucks’

Housing activists say they often see landlords seizing upon a fire as an opportunity to terminate leases and renovate units, especially in neighbourhoods that struggle with gentrification.

“I think a fire can be very convenient for a property owner who’s renting out units to people who’ve been there for a long time and who pay a lower rent than the property owner would like,” said Lyn O’Donnell, who works with CACV.

Last summer, every time O’Donnell and her colleagues heard sirens, they would rush out of their apartments to try and find the fire so they could tell tenants about their rights.

“We were chasing fire trucks all summer,” said O’Donnell. “It was pretty wild.”

A spokesperson for Quebec’s housing tribunal, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), says if a building is only partially damaged following a fire, tenants have the right to return to their apartment once repairs are completed.

If a building is considered a substantial or total loss, the lease is terminated. It’s not clear if Chử's building would be considered a substantial loss by a TAL judge.

When buildings are sold, the new owners must honour any existing leases, according to the TAL.

‘Loophole’ for converting rental units into condos

Both of the buildings Construction Ouellette bought were converted from rental apartments to undivided condos.

At least four of the six units were recently sold for between $475,000 and half a million dollars.

The rental apartments in Lily Chử's building were converted to undivided condos. One of the units was up for sale last month. (realtor.ca)

Converting rental units to divided co-ownership — where each owner owns their own unit —  is severely restricted in Montreal to protect the rental stock. Conversion requires both an authorization from the TAL and an exemption from the borough. 

But no such rules apply to undivided co-ownership, where different people own a percentage of a building. In fact, neither the TAL nor the city has any way of tracking how often this happens.

“It is a loophole. It's just that we're not the one who has the power to correct it,” said Caroline Braun, the city’s executive committee member in charge of housing. 

The TAL says that converting property into undivided co-ownership does not erase the owners’ obligations to honour existing rental leases.

Quebec’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing would only say they are following the situation in Montreal closely.

Lack of communication, clear timeline

Thomas MacMillan was living two buildings down from Chử when his own building was evacuated due to a fire in October 2024, just a few months after Chử's building.

Now whenever he hears a fire truck go by, he gets worried.

“I think, ‘God, who’s going to be homeless now because of this?’” he said.

Thomas MacMillan hasn't been able to return to his apartment since October 2024, following a fire at the building next door. He said it's been difficult to get clear answers from his landlord about repairs and a tentative return date. (Louis-Marie Philidor/CBC)

While firefighters were putting the fire out next door, the shared wall with MacMillan’s building was opened up to make sure the fire had not spread. 

That’s when firefighters discovered asbestos, which led to MacMillan’s building being evacuated. 

He hasn’t been able to return to his apartment ever since. 

“It threw myself, and other tenants’ lives, into chaos,” said MacMillan.

Following the fire, MacMillan moved in temporarily with his girlfriend, thinking it would take a few months to remove the asbestos, redo the walls and fix the roof.

But the months kept ticking by.

MacMillan says whenever he’d ask his landlord for a tentative return date, he couldn’t get a clear answer. 

When CBC visited the building with MacMillan in early April, he was surprised to see a construction worker working in his unit. Construction workers were also at the building last week. 

But more than 18 months after the fire, MacMillan still hasn’t been told when the repairs will be completed.  

“I have no power over whether it's being fixed, how it's being fixed, anything,” said MacMillan.

A few months after the fire, in the winter of 2025, MacMillan’s landlord proposed a rent increase of roughly 30 per cent, pointing to the “investment” being made in the building.

MacMillan's building, on the right, remains boarded up more than 18 months after a fire at the building next door. Both buildings were still being repaired at the end of last week. (Louis-Marie Philidor/CBC)

According to the TAL, major repairs can only be claimed in the year after the expenses were paid for.

MacMillan rejected the increase and is still waiting for his rent fixation hearing.

“My sense is that he doesn't want us back,” said MacMillan, referring to his landlord. 

CBC spoke with two other tenants who chose not to renew their leases.

MacMillan’s landlord, Daniel Rochefort, did not respond to CBC’s questions.

Duelling claims

A spokesperson for the TAL says tenants can ask the tribunal to intervene if repairs are taking too long. In some cases, tenants may be able to get compensation.

MacMillan has asked the tribunal to compel Rochefort to complete the repairs and to provide regular updates. He is seeking $50,000 in compensation, including for loss of work and emotional distress.

Rochefort’s lawyer emailed MacMillan his counterclaim in February 2026. Rochefort asks the tribunal to find MacMillan’s claim abusive and to order him to pay a total of $15,000 in damages.

Rochefort alleges that the tenant broke into his office to stage a protest. MacMillan denies the allegations. He said he and a group of housing activists entered the building legally and left after reading out a statement.

In the counterclaim, Rochefort also says MacMillan failed to provide his updated contact information, but emails show MacMillan provided a mailing address to Rochefort’s daughter, who was managing the building.

Rochefort also said in the filing that MacMillan would be informed when the work was completed, but that, as of February, it was too soon to say when that would be.

Firefighters had to open the walls in MacMillan's apartment to make sure a building fire next door had not spread. When they did, they discovered asbestos. All the tenants in MacMillan's building had to be evacuated in October 2024. (Submitted by Thomas MacMillan)

CBC was unable to find a copy of the counterclaim at either the TAL or the Court of Quebec.

Neither Rochefort nor his lawyer responded this week when CBC asked if that document was actually filed.

Rochefort was in court this week to face unrelated criminal charges in connection with sexual abuse of a minor. 

In court, Rochefort’s criminal lawyer said his client contests the allegations. He was in detention awaiting his next court appearance Thursday. 

It’s unclear what the status of Rochefort’s counterclaim is against MacMillan.

Housing lawyer David Searle says the situation following a fire can be “complex.” He says even if many tenants would rather move on after a fire, they should still get legal advice to understand their options. 

“Oftentimes it's an opportunity to negotiate a settlement to turn the page, but for that settlement to be valid, you have to know what your rights really are,” said Searle. 

Onus on tenants to notify their landlord

Landlords are supposed to notify tenants about what work needs to be done and how long it is expected to take, but O’Donnell of the CACV says that timeline is often pushed back.

“I’ve seen cases where a landlord has simply put a new tenant in before the old tenant can move back to their house,” she said.

To protect themselves and their right to return to their apartment, the CACV advises tenants to fill out a notice of abandonment within 10 days of the fire. If an apartment has become uninhabitable, this formal written notice provides temporary contact information and lets the landlord know the tenant intends to return to the unit once the repairs are done. 

If the renter fails to notify their landlord of their intentions and how to reach them, their lease is terminated. 

O’Donnell says most tenants have no idea they should be sending this document.

“When you have a fire, obviously, you are scrambling, you’re looking for your medicare card, like everything is up in the air,” said O’Donnell. “Then all of sudden, you have to write this legal document to your landlord and you have to make sure that they receive it.”

Montreal firefighters stand outside a residential building in April 2026 following a fire in Verdun. (Pascal Girard/Radio-Canada)

Chử tried to send a notice of abandonment to her former landlord, but was unable to find him for months. In MacMillan’s case, he notified his landlord’s daughter of his new address and intention to return to the apartment by email.

The consequences of a fire are significant for both the landlord and the tenant, said the Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ), which represents many Quebec landlords.

A spokesperson said the time to rebuild depends on a number of factors, including the time to process insurance claims, technical assessments, permits, estimates and getting a contractor who is available.

As for relocation costs, the spokesperson says they may be covered by the tenant’s insurance. If the tenant causes the fire, they have to cover their own costs and the damage to the building. If they’re not at fault, the tenant can claim reimbursement costs and damages.

WATCH | Families were left homeless for a month in October 2025 after a fire:

But O’Donnell believes the system favours landlords.

“Property owners and big speculative groups, they are very easily able to just act as if the law does not exist because there are no real concrete material repercussions for them,” said O’Donnell. “On the other hand, the repercussions for tenants are enormous. It's their entire lives that are affected.”

As for Chử, she and her son got a spot in social housing in the Plateau neighbourhood a few months after the fire.

But the change of neighbourhood and the loss of many of her belongings has been destabilizing.

“People think, at least I am still able to be alive and I have a place to stay instead of on the street. Yes, I’m grateful, but mentally…no,” she said.