The cost of renting in many parts of Quebec, particularly Montreal, has shot up in recent years.
Tenants in Quebec already struggling to pay their monthly bills could face a historic increase in rent this year, based on guidelines released Tuesday.
Each year, Quebec's rental tribunal, known in French as the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), releases a set of calculations landlords can use before sending a notice of rent increase to a tenant. Those calculations are based on landlords' expenses for the rental property.
Here are the latest recommendations:
- Tenants living in homes where heat is not included in the rent could see their rent increase 5.9 per cent, compared to an average of four per cent last year.
- Where heating is included in the rent, the increase varies by type:
- 5.5 per cent for a home with electric heating.
- 5.0 per cent for natural gas.
- 4.1 per cent for heating oil.
A 5.9 per cent increase in rent would mean that someone currently paying $1,200 in monthly rent would see that go up to $1,270. That's the highest recommended increase in that category in at least three decades, according to TAL figures dating back to 1988. The amount could climb further, depending on things like apartment upgrades and property taxes.
The guidelines are for the year beginning April 2, 2025 through April 1, 2026. The TAL created a tool to help landlords and tenants reach an agreement on an increase.
In Quebec, a tenant is allowed to refuse a rent increase from a landlord. If the two parties cannot agree on a number, the landlord can file an application with the TAL to modify the lease within a month of receiving the tenant's reply.
When taking into account capital expenditures, the TAL granted an increase of 6.9 per cent on average in the cases that were brought before it in 2024 — the highest increase in at least 15 years.
