In Quebec, a lease that ends on June 30 runs on a calendar set by the Civil Code: the landlord’s notice, the tenant’s reply and any application to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) each have a deadline. This guide covers that calendar for a lease of 12 months or more, then new leases signed in spring.
When must the rent increase notice go out?
Between January 1 and March 31, for a lease of 12 months or more that ends June 30. Article 1942 of the Civil Code requires the notice at least three months and at most six months before the lease ends, and JuridiQC (in French) gives those dates.
The same notice covers any other change, such as the term, heating or parking (TAL). It must be in writing, in the language of the lease, and sent to the address in the lease (article 1898). It states the new rent, or the increase in dollars or as a percentage (article 1943), and the tenant’s one-month deadline to refuse.
For proof, the TAL recommends registered mail, hand delivery with an acknowledgement of receipt, or another method that proves receipt, with a separate notice to each tenant who signed. A letter that only asks whether the tenant wants to stay another year is not a notice of modification, and the tenant need not answer it.
How long does the tenant have to answer?
One month from receiving the notice. The tenant can accept, refuse the change and stay, or say they will leave when the lease ends (TAL).
Silence counts as acceptance. Under article 1945, a tenant who does not answer within the month is deemed to accept the renewal on the landlord’s terms. One exception: when section F of the lease says the unit is in a housing cooperative, or in a building built or converted to residential use five years ago or less, a tenant who refuses must leave at the end of the lease (TAL).
What if the tenant got no notice?
The lease renews by operation of law on the same conditions, for the same term, or for 12 months if the original lease was longer (article 1941). A tenant who wants to leave must give notice of non-renewal within the same window as the landlord (article 1946; TAL), so between January 1 and March 31 for a lease ending June 30. Éducaloi gives the same dates.
What happens if the tenant refuses?
The lease renews, and the landlord has one month from receiving the refusal to ask the TAL to fix the rent or rule on the other change (article 1947). If the landlord does not apply within that month, the lease renews at the same rent and on the same conditions.
After filing, the landlord has 90 days to file the TAL’s RN form, with proof it was served on the tenant, or the case is closed (TAL). The landlord is no longer bound by the amount in the notice: the TAL applies the regulation’s criteria, so the increase may be higher.
The tenant keeps paying the current rent until the decision; the new rent and any arrears must then be paid within one month after it (TAL).
How is the increase calculated since January 1, 2026?
For notices given on or after January 1, 2026, rent is indexed by a base percentage drawn from the general CPI for Quebec, averaged over the last three years. Extra adjustments may be granted for municipal and school taxes, insurance and major work (TAL), and notices given before that date follow the old criteria.
The TAL publishes the base percentage every January; it is 3.1% for 2026 (TAL). It is not a cap: a landlord is free to ask for the increase they consider just and reasonable (TAL), the tenant can refuse it, and the criteria apply when the TAL fixes the rent.
What are the deadlines for shorter leases?
Shorter. Under article 1942, the notice goes out one to two months before the end of a lease of less than 12 months, one to two months before the change for a lease with no fixed term, and 10 to 20 days ahead for a room. The tenant still has one month to answer, and the landlord one month after a refusal to apply to the TAL (article 1945; article 1947).
What happens each month, from January to July?
For a lease of 12 months or more that ends June 30:
| Month | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January | From January 1, the landlord can send the notice, and a tenant without one can give notice of non-renewal. | Civil Code arts. 1942, 1946 |
| February | Replies to January notices come due one month after receipt (received January 15, reply by February 15). No reply means acceptance. | Civil Code art. 1945; TAL |
| March | March 31 is the last day for the landlord’s notice and for a tenant’s notice of non-renewal. | Civil Code arts. 1942, 1946; JuridiQC |
| April | Replies to notices received in March come due. Each refusal gives the landlord one month to apply to the TAL. | Civil Code arts. 1945, 1947 |
| May | Applications for refusals received in April come due. Without one, the lease renews at the same rent. | Civil Code art. 1947; TAL |
| June | June 30: the lease ends, and tenants who said they would leave move out. | TAL |
| July | July 1: the renewed lease begins. While the TAL fixes the rent, the tenant keeps paying the old rent. | Civil Code art. 1941; TAL |
What applies to a new lease signed in spring?
The TAL form, a notice of the lowest recent rent, and at most one month’s rent in advance.
- The form. A dwelling lease is made on the TAL’s mandatory form (article 1895; Regulation respecting mandatory lease forms), and the tenant gets a copy within 10 days. Forms on sale before January 1, 2026 remain valid only until December 31, 2026 (TAL), so a lease signed in spring 2027 needs a current form.
- The lowest rent. At signing, the landlord gives the new tenant, in section G of the lease, a notice of the lowest rent paid in the 12 months before the lease begins, or the rent the TAL fixed in that period (article 1896; TAL). If no rent was paid in those 12 months, the notice gives the last rent paid and its date.
- The new tenant’s remedy. A new tenant who pays more can ask the TAL to fix the rent within 10 days of signing, or within two months of the start of the lease if no notice was given (article 1950). A false statement in the notice, or knowingly failing to give it, can lead to punitive damages (article 1896).
- The first month only. The landlord may require in advance only the first month’s rent, with no deposit, key deposit or postdated cheques (article 1904; TAL). For a lease signed April 15 that starts July 1, the TAL says the landlord can ask for the first month’s rent right away, and only that.
How does the TAL’s electronic lease work?
The TAL offers every mandatory lease form electronically, on a government platform, for $2.99 plus tax, or $3.44 in total (TAL). The parties can sign remotely by electronic signature, and each must provide a valid email address.
Once started, the process must be completed within 36 hours. The lease is then generated as a PDF that can be downloaded and printed for 90 days. The TAL does not check what the parties enter.