Are you planning to raise the rent on your Quebec rental property in 2025? If so, you’ll want to become familiar with the province’s rent control laws, which are quite distinct from those in the rest of Canada. Knowing how and when to increase your rent in Quebec is crucial to avoid legal trouble and conflict with your tenants.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about increasing your rent in Quebec, including the maximum price you can set, how to notify your tenants, and how to resolve pricing disputes through the province’s housing tribunal.
2025 updates to Quebec’s rent increase guidelines
There’s no limit to how much you can raise your rent in Quebec, so you have plenty of flexibility in choosing your price for 2025.
However, rules are in place to prevent landlords from implementing excessive rent increases. In Quebec, your tenant must accept your rent increase before you can implement it. Your tenant has the legal right to refuse your proposed price within one month of receiving your notice. They can appeal to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL), which will, in turn, decide on an appropriate amount.
The Quebec government encourages landlords and tenants to arrange a rent increase that’s fair and reasonable. Each year in mid-January, the TAL publishes a list of rent increase recommendations to help landlords determine a suitable price. These recommendations aren’t legal requirements but rather rules of thumb to facilitate tenant negotiations.
The TAL’s 2025 rent increase recommendations
The TAL’s rent increase recommendations consider various expenses incurred in operating a rental property. These include energy costs, municipal taxes, and capital expenditures. They calculate their figures according to Quebec’s rent-fixing regulations.
For 2025, the TAL suggests an average rent increase of:
- 5.9% for unheated dwellings
- 5.5% for dwellings heated by electricity
- 5.0% for dwellings heated by gas
- 4.1% for dwellings heated by heating oil
These rent increase recommendations apply from April 2, 2025 to April 1, 2026.
2025 rent increase resources
Explore the links below for some helpful rent increase resources from the TAL:
Rent increase notice requirements
For a rent increase to be valid in Quebec, you must give your tenant proper notice using an approved form. The amount of notice required depends on the type of lease:
- For fixed-term tenancies of one year or more, you must give three to six months’ notice before the lease renewal date.
- For fixed-term tenancies of less than one year, you must provide at least one to two months’ notice before the lease renewal date.
- For tenancies with no set end date (periodic tenancies), you must give one to two month’s notice before the rent increase takes effect.
How to raise rent by lease type
Here are the steps for raising the rent price for a rental property in Quebec based on the lease.
Fixed lease
Step 1: Determine your new rent price
Start by figuring out your ideal rent price. The amount you charge should allow you to cover your operating expenses while encouraging your tenant to renew their lease.
Assess your spending during the past year to maintain your property, including insurance premiums, property taxes, and utilities. At a minimum, your new rent fee should offset the extra expenses you’ve incurred.
Next, evaluate what other landlords are charging in your area for similar rental properties. Knowing what price renters would be willing to pay is crucial to minimizing vacancy costs.
Step 2: Prepare the notice of rent increase
Once you’ve determined a suitable rent fee, it’s time to prepare a notice for your tenant, which you’ll need to do using the following form:
Add a note to your rent increase notice that explains the reasoning behind the rent adjustment. Being transparent with your tenants can help minimize disputes over the new rate.
Step 3: Notify your tenant of the rent increase
For a fixed-term lease that lasts 12 months or more, you must give your tenant three to six months’ notice before the term ends. If the lease is less than 12 months, the notice period is one to two months.
If your tenant doesn’t respond to your notice of rent increase, it’s assumed they have accepted your new fee. But if they object to it, they must notify you in writing within one month of receiving it using the following form:
Periodic lease
Step 1: Determine your new rent price
Evaluate the previous year’s operating expenses. Did your bills increase? If so, which ones, and by how much? Make sure you include in your calculation the cost of any remodeling work you’ve done to your property, too.
Next, do some research on rental rates in your area. Find a few properties similar to your own in size, age, condition, and amenities. Then, determine the average rental fee that landlords are charging for those properties. This step is important in deciding a price that reflects your competition and the local market demand.
Step 2: Prepare the notice of rent increase
In Quebec, you must use the following document to give your tenant proper notice:
Besides completing the above form, it’s also worth adding an extra note that explains why you’re raising the rent.
Step 3: Notify your tenant of the rent increase
The final step is to inform your tenant of the rent increase. For a periodic lease, you must serve your notice between one and two months before the date it takes effect.
How you deliver your message is up to you, but ensure they receive it by the deadline. Otherwise, they can legally contest your rent increase through the TAL and even have it overturned.
Resolving issues about rent control
In Quebec, renters have a legal right to challenge rent increases they feel are excessive. They have one month to dispute a rent increase after receiving your notice. If they don’t respond to you within this period, it’s assumed that they agree with your price, which means you can legally enforce it.
Suppose you object to your tenant’s assertion that your rent is unreasonable. In that case, you can ask for assistance from the TAL to decide on a fair rent increase. You’ll need to complete and submit an application to modify the lease within one month of receiving your tenant’s notice of refusal to pay the increased rent. Once the TAL has processed your application, they’ll ask you to to complete the necessary information regarding the fixing of rent.
Our final thoughts
There’s no cap on rent increases in Quebec, but the province does have regulations to protect tenants from undue rent increases. For your rent increase to be legally valid, your tenant must accept it. Tenants can reject a rent fee they believe is unjust within one month of receiving notification by applying with the TAL, which will decide on an appropriate amount.
As a landlord, you must also give your tenant proper written notice using a government-approved form before applying your rent increase. The amount of notice required depends on the type of lease.
To avoid disputes with tenants over rent, choose a reasonable price that you can justify. Learn more about the TAL’s suggested rent adjustments in 2025 so you’re prepared to adjust rents confidently without tenant conflicts.
