Renting in Quebec in 2026

Quebec's rental market, and Montreal's above all, remained one of the most affordable among Canada's large-city markets through mid-2026. Montreal's average asking rent for apartments and condos was $1,940 in July 2026, down about 1.6 percent year-over-year, according to the Rentals.ca and Urbanation National Rent Report, well below the $2,037 national average asking rent for the same month.

Quebec does not use a single fixed annual rent-increase guideline the way Ontario does. Instead, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) publishes an annual set of criteria and component percentages, covering the base adjustment, capital expenditures, and other factors, that landlords are meant to apply to calculate a building-specific rent adjustment (a process usually called the fixing of rent). For notices given on or after January 1, 2026, the TAL set the base component at 3.1 percent, but the amount a landlord can actually apply depends on the specific building's costs and circumstances, not a flat province-wide number. See Section 4 for how this works in practice.

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  Rent adjustments use a calculation, not a fixed guideline.Unlike Ontario's single annual percentage, the TAL publishes criteria and component percentages each year (a base component of 3.1 percent for notices from January 2026, plus adjustments for items like capital expenditures) that landlords apply to their specific building's costs. A tenant does not have to accept an increase and can ask the TAL to fix the rent if they and the landlord can't agree.
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  No security deposit is allowed, of any kind.This is unique to Quebec among the provinces SQRFT covers. A landlord can only require the first month's rent in advance at signing, never a separate damage, key, or security deposit. A landlord who demands one can be fined by the TAL.
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  Landlord entry generally requires 24 hours' notice.For a condition check, minor work, or showing the unit to a prospective buyer, notice must generally be given at least 24 hours ahead, with visits between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Larger repairs require 10 days' written notice. Genuine emergencies are the main exception.
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  Repossession for personal use is allowed, but restricted.A landlord can repossess a unit to live in it themselves, or house their children, parents, or another relative or former spouse who depends on them financially, but generally not if they already own a similar, comparably priced unit nearby. Notice periods are long (typically six months for leases longer than six months), and a tenant can contest a repossession they believe is not genuine.
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  Disputes go to the Tribunal administratif du logement.Quebec's dedicated tenancy tribunal, distinct from Ontario's LTB, BC's RTB, or Alberta's RTDRS, with its own forms and process for rent disputes, repairs, deposit demands, and repossession or eviction applications.
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  Quebec's mandatory lease form specifies who pays for what.The standard lease requires landlord and tenant to state who pays for heating, electricity, and other services. There's no universal default: many older multi-unit buildings include heat in the rent by custom, but this isn't a legal requirement. Landlords must, however, maintain an adequate indoor temperature regardless of who pays for it.

• Rentals.ca / Urbanation National Rent Report (August 2026 edition)
• CMHC Rental Market Survey Data Tables
• Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0009-01, Population Estimates, January 2026
• Tribunal administratif du logement, percentages and criteria for the fixing of rent
• Éducaloi, rental security deposits: a common yet illegal practice
• Éducaloi, repossession of rental housing
• Tribunal administratif du logement