Landlord Is Refusing Compensation Because Our Safety Reports Forced Repairs. Is This Retaliation? Should We Go To The Tribunal?

Location: Quebec, Canada

We have a situation with our landlord and need some advice, here’s the story:

My partner and I have been raising a few concerns to management since we moved in to our apartment a few years ago. The main concern was about our very old built-in kitchen setup. The oven was built into the wall and the stovetop was separate. The wood/cabinets around the oven area would darken and get extremely hot when used, and we repeatedly asked for inspection/replacement because we were worried it was a fire hazard.

The stovetop also had electrical issues. Recently, it got worse, caused a burn injury, and then stopped working . We lost normal use of the stovetop/oven for about 2 months while the landlord did not properly fix it, inspect it, or provide a replacement.

Because of the electrical/safety issues and lack of action, we contacted the fire department/city. The landlord eventually replaced the old setup with a newer range. When the old built-in oven was removed, we discovered burned/charred wood behind and around it. Since the fire department process had already started, we reported that too. The fire department also inspected other apartments with similar setups and apparently found them to be fire hazards. So now the landlord apparently has to replace or repair them all.

We’ve also had mold and other issues. Emails about these concerns went unanswered for more than a year, so we contacted the city. The city inspected and sent the landlord a letter telling them they need to do the necessary repairs.
My doctor also told me I should leave because of the effect of the mold on my health.

Because of all this, we asked to terminate the lease early. We had lost trust, felt unsafe, and were tired of unanswered communications and unresolved issues. We also asked for compensation/rent reduction because we couldn’t cook normally for about 2 months, had to order food, lost groceries, cancelled meal-related plans, and were living with safety issues we had warned them about for years.

Now, almost 1 month after asking, they’re agreeing to end the lease, but refusing any compensation. The landlord’s representative said that they’re refusing compensation because the city/fire department got involved and now they have to spend money on repairs and replacements in the building. That feels retaliatory to me, or at least like we’re being penalized for reporting legitimate safety issues after they ignored them for years.

They’re apparently preparing an agreement, but it sounds like it will be conditional on us waiving any further claims. We feel stuck: if we don’t sign, we’ll have to pay two rents until the lease ends to then maybe have a chance at some compensation if we go to the TAL, but if we do sign, we may lose our right to pursue compensation or recourse.

My questions:

-Could refusing compensation and making lease termination conditional on a full release after we contacted the city/fire department be considered retaliation, coercion, or bad faith?

-If they refuse to end the lease unless we waive all claims, do we have any recourse? Does the mold/safety situation change anything, since we feel forced to leave and may otherwise be stuck paying two rents?

-What wording should we absolutely watch out for before signing?

-Does this sound like something worth bringing to the TAL?

I don’t want to accidentally sign away our rights, especially when we feel forced to leave because the apartment no longer feels safe. I would appreciate anyone’s advice or suggestions, thank you!!

TL;DR: We reported long-running mold, electrical, and fire-safety issues after the landlord ignored repair requests. Fire dept/city got involved, and the landlord now has to make repairs/replacements. They’re agreeing to end our lease but refusing compensation, apparently because our reports caused them repair costs, and they want us to waive all claims in order to terminate the lease. We feel forced to leave for health/safety reasons but don’t want to sign away our rights. Is this retaliation/bad faith, and worth bringing to the TAL?