An increasing number of Quebec apartment listings ask potential tenants to disclose whether they have a file with the Tribunal administratif du logement, the provincial body created to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

Tenants’ rights advocates say landlords openly using records from Quebec’s housing tribunal against prospective renters is cause for concern.

CBC News has reviewed dozens of postings specifically spelling out that having any record with the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) will influence your shot at getting the place.

Some landlords are considering any interaction with the TAL as a potential red flag. The TAL enforces housing law and protects both tenants and landlords’ rights.

For example, tenants often take landlords to the TAL if necessary maintenance isn’t done or to contest abusive rent hikes. Landlords can open a file at the TAL to evict a tenant.

All these records are available publicly.

Checking records is completely legal, but Lyn O’Donnell, a community organizer with the Verdun Housing Committee, says it can lead to a form of discrimination.