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Only three tenants were left in a St-Henri boarding house when it was condemned last Friday.

After new owners bought the building in May, they went to work clearing it out. First, they sent an “eviction notice” to the 14 people living in the complex. The letter gave residents until the end of June to clear out because an “inspection” determined it was unsafe.

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When the tenants fought back, their landlords offered them three months of free rent and $200 to leave. Most took the offer. But for the last three holdouts, the boarding house gradually became unlivable until it was padlocked by the city last week.

Experts are calling this a textbook case of “renoviction” — when landlords pressure tenants to leave so they can renovate the units, attract wealthier clients and jack up rent prices. Some buy tenants out of their leases, but renters’ groups say it’s not uncommon for them to let buildings fall into disrepair in hopes of shooing renters out.