What's typically included in Quebec City rent?

It depends entirely on what the lease says. Quebec's mandatory lease form requires the landlord and tenant to specify who pays for heating, electricity, and other services, so there is no universal default. That said, many older Quebec City buildings, especially in Vieux-Québec and Saint-Jean-Baptiste, include heating in the rent by long-standing local custom (sometimes referred to locally as a heated, or "chauffé," unit), while newer condo rentals more often bill heat and electricity separately. Regardless of who pays, Quebec law requires landlords to maintain an adequate indoor temperature, generally accepted at around 21 degrees Celsius, from September 15 to May 31. Always confirm exactly what's included in writing before you sign.

How does Quebec's rent increase system work?

Quebec does not use a single fixed annual percentage guideline the way Ontario does. Instead, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) publishes an annual set of criteria and percentages, covering components like the base rent adjustment, capital expenditures, and municipal taxes, that landlords are meant to apply to calculate a building-specific rent increase (this is sometimes called the rent-fixation calculation). For notices given on or after January 1, 2026, the TAL set a base component of 3.1 percent. A tenant who receives a rent-increase notice does not have to accept it. If you and your landlord can't agree, you can ask the TAL to fix the rent, and the TAL's own online calculation tool can help you check whether an increase is reasonable.

Does my Quebec City landlord require a security deposit?

No, and 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. A tenant can voluntarily choose to pay a deposit, but a landlord cannot make it a condition of renting, and pressuring a tenant into a "voluntary" deposit is not allowed either. If a landlord insists on a deposit, a tenant can refuse and, if needed, raise it with the TAL, which can fine a landlord for demanding one.

How do I dispute my landlord at the TAL?

The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) is Quebec's tribunal for residential tenancy disputes, covering rent increases, repairs, deposit demands, and eviction or repossession applications. It's a different tribunal from Ontario's Landlord and Tenant Board, BC's Residential Tenancy Branch, or Alberta's RTDRS, with its own forms and process, so don't assume another province's steps apply here. Keep your signed TAL lease, all written correspondence with your landlord, and any notices you receive or send, since these are what the TAL will ask for if a dispute is filed.

Can my landlord enter without notice?

No, with narrow exceptions. For a condition check or minor work, a Quebec City landlord generally must give at least 24 hours' notice, and visits must fall between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Larger repairs or improvements require 10 days' written notice, with work generally restricted to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. A landlord must also give 24 hours' notice before showing the unit to a potential buyer. Genuine emergencies are the main exception where advance notice isn't legally required.

What if my landlord wants to sell or move into the property?

A sale on its own does not end your tenancy, the new owner takes over your existing lease. Repossession (the landlord retaking the unit to live in it) is a separate, narrower process, and Quebec restricts who it can be used for: the landlord themselves, their children or parents, or another relative or a former spouse only if the landlord is that person's main source of financial support. A landlord generally can't repossess if they already own a similar, comparably-priced unit nearby. Notice periods are long, typically six months before the end of a lease longer than six months, and tenants have the right to contest a repossession they believe is not genuine.

Quebec City, Quebec Canada

Rentals Quebec City: Renting in Quebec City in 2026

Real neighborhoods, real answers. The complete SQRFT guide for renters and landlords in Canada's oldest city and provincial capital.

Browse Quebec City rentals

Population

592,658

StatCan-derived, Jul 2025

Universities

Université Laval

Tramway

TramCité

Planned, targeted 2033

Neighborhoods

Across 7 boroughs

FFrancis, SQRFT TeamCanadian Rental Market Analysts, SQRFT Editorial Team Updated September 20, 2026 8 min read

Section 1

What we know (and don't) about Quebec City rents

Quebec City does not currently appear in CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report as its own market, nor is it named in Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report. Rather than estimate or borrow a number from a nearby market, we're telling you plainly: there is currently no verified average-rent or vacancy-rate figure we can cite for Quebec City from either primary source.

The practical read

For a real sense of current asking rents, browse live SQRFT listings in Quebec City directly. Expect competition to run highest near Vieux-Québec and around Université Laval's Sainte-Foy campus during the fall semester.

Section 2

Where Quebec City renters live: the borough guide

Quebec City is Canada's oldest city and the provincial capital, anchored by Vieux-Québec's UNESCO World Heritage old town. Here's how the boroughs break down.

Founded in 1608, Quebec City is organized into seven boroughs, each with its own character, density, and price profile, from the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Québec to the suburban family neighborhoods further from the river.

Vieux-Québec (Old Quebec, UNESCO World Heritage site)

Vieux-Québec

Renting in Vieux-Québec, Quebec City.

La Cité-Limoilou

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Renting in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Quebec City.

Limoilou

Renting in Limoilou, Quebec City.

Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge

Sainte-Foy

Renting in Sainte-Foy, Quebec City.

Sillery

Renting in Sillery, Quebec City.

Charlesbourg

Renting in Charlesbourg, Quebec City.

Beauport

Renting in Beauport, Quebec City.

Section 3

Quebec City schools and school boards

Where you live decides which public school your kids attend, and in Quebec City it also decides which language sector you fall into.

The two public boards

Centre de services scolaire de la Capitale

CSS Capitale

Serves families across Quebec City with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

Central Québec School Board

CQSB

Serves families across Quebec City with designated catchment schools plus alternative and specialized programs.

How to find a school for your address

1
Use the board's school locator first.Enter the address on the CSS Capitale or CQSB site and it returns the designated school for each grade level.
2
Confirm the language of instruction.Quebec's Charter of the French Language generally requires children to attend French-language public school unless a specific exemption applies, so confirm eligibility for English-sector schooling (CQSB) before assuming it's available.
3
Check whether the school is capped.Popular schools in growing boroughs like Charlesbourg and Les Rivières regularly close to non-designated students.
4
Confirm before you sign the lease.School-driven address decisions do not have a rewind button once you have committed to a lease term.

Public vs private

•
Public, French sector (CSS Capitale):free, catchment-based, Quebec City's largest French-language school board.
•
Public, English sector (CQSB):free, admission generally requires meeting Quebec's English-eligibility rules under the Charter of the French Language.
•
Private schools:a smaller private school sector than Montreal's, with tuition varying by school.

Section 4

Quebec City universities and post-secondary

Université Laval is a defining feature of Sainte-Foy in particular. Landlords near the campus see distinct fall-semester demand cycles.

Université Laval

~45,000 students

Laval

Students concentrate in neighborhoods within walking or short-transit distance of the Laval campus.

Timing tip

Rentals near Université Laval's Sainte-Foy campus typically hit peak demand in August and early September as students sign leases for the fall semester. If you are a landlord targeting students, list early. If you are a student looking for the best selection, start hunting by July.

Section 5

Getting around Quebec City

Quebec City is served by the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), with a major light-rail tramway currently in the planning stage.

The essentials

•
RTC buses:the network's current backbone, covering all seven boroughs, including express routes (Métrobus) along the busiest corridors.
•
Quebec City Tramway (TramCité):a planned light-rail line targeted to open in 2033. It is currently in the planning stage and not yet operational, so don't rely on it for a near-term move.

Car-optional zones

If you value a car-optional lifestyle, look at La Cité-Limoilou and Vieux-Québec, Quebec City's densest, most walkable boroughs with the strongest RTC bus coverage. Beauport and La Haute-Saint-Charles, farther from the core, are more car-dependent.

Section 6

What it costs to live in Quebec City in 2026

Rent is the biggest line, but not the only one. Here's how Quebec City's fixed costs stack against the rest of Quebec.

Where Quebec City wins

•
Generally more affordable than Montreal.As Quebec's second-largest city, Quebec City's housing stock and rental market typically carry a lower cost profile than Montreal's core boroughs.
•
No security deposit.Quebec law does not allow a landlord to require a security, damage, or key deposit of any kind. At signing, a landlord can only require the first month's rent in advance.
•
A compact, walkable core.Vieux-Québec and La Cité-Limoilou offer a dense, walkable urban lifestyle without Montreal-scale traffic or commute times.

Where Quebec City is expensive

•
Combined sales tax.Quebec charges 5 percent GST plus 9.975 percent QST, for a combined 14.975 percent, applied to most goods and many services, higher than Ontario's 13 percent HST or Alberta's 5 percent GST-only.
•
Long, cold winters.Quebec City's humid continental climate means real heating and winter-clothing costs, even where heating is included in rent.
•
Car dependence outside the core.Boroughs farther from La Cité-Limoilou often require a car, adding fuel, insurance, and parking costs on top of rent.

For live monthly cost-of-living data, Statistics Canada's Consumer Price Index release publishes the Quebec City CMA component, broken down by category, and Revenu Québec publishes the current GST and QST rate tables.

Section 7

Quebec City events, culture, and why people love it here

The last section before we get to the practical answers. If you're deciding whether to move to Quebec City in the first place, this is what tips the scale.

Quebec City is Canada's oldest city and the seat of Quebec's provincial government, pairing centuries of history in Vieux-Québec, a UNESCO World Heritage site, with the modern institutional and research presence of Université Laval and the CHU de Québec health network.

Major annual events

Quebec Winter Carnival (Carnaval de Québec)

January-February

A signature Quebec City event drawing large crowds citywide.

Festival d'été de Québec

July

A signature Quebec City event drawing large crowds citywide.

Quebec City's climate

Humid continental climate with long, cold winters and warm summers

Quebec City's professional sports

Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)

Quebec City's hometown junior hockey franchise.

Section 8

Renting in Quebec City: Quebec Civil Code and TAL essentials

These rules apply to every Quebec City rental, set out in the Civil Code of Quebec and enforced by the Tribunal administratif du logement. Bookmark this section.

The common rule of thumb is 30 percent of gross monthly income on housing (rent plus utilities). Neither CMHC's Fall 2025 Rental Market Report nor Rentals.ca's September 2026 National Rent Report currently publishes a standalone average rent figure for Quebec City, so we won't estimate one. Check live listings on SQRFT for current asking rents in the area you're targeting, and use our affordability calculator once you have a real number to test.

Try the free rent affordability calculator →

Section 9

Live Quebec City rentals on SQRFT

Browse listings across Quebec City boroughs. All listings verified. Free to list.

Browse Quebec City listings

Pricing

What should Quebec City rent cost?

Get a free rent estimate

SQRFT Rent Estimator

See a data-driven rent range for your Quebec City property based on our Canadian rental market model.

Sources