Why Quebec Has No Security Deposit

This is a genuinely unique Quebec rule: landlords are not allowed to require a security, damage, or key deposit of any kind, no matter what it's called. At lease signing, a landlord can only require payment of the first month's rent in advance. That's it.

This is different from Ontario (which also disallows a damage deposit but allows a last month's rent deposit) and British Columbia or Alberta (which both allow a capped security deposit). Quebec is the only province among SQRFT's coverage with a true no-deposit rule.

A tenant can voluntarily choose to pay a landlord more than the first month's rent in advance, but a landlord cannot make this a condition of renting, and pressuring a tenant into a "voluntary" deposit is not allowed either. In practice, this means a landlord asking for "just a small deposit to hold the unit" is very often asking for something Quebec law does not permit them to require.

If a landlord insists, a tenant can simply refuse. The lease and the right to move in are not conditional on paying it.

If a landlord insists on a deposit, a tenant can refuse and, if needed, raise it with the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), which can fine a landlord for demanding one. Keep any written communication (texts, emails, listing ads) where a deposit was requested, since that documentation is useful if a complaint becomes necessary.

Despite being illegal, the practice remains common enough that Éducaloi, Quebec's public legal-information organization, has published guidance specifically warning tenants about it.