Renting in Montreal
Housing workshops & events
No upcoming events at this time.
Apartment sizes in Montreal
- a 1½ is a large room with kitchenette and bathroom;
- a 2½ is two separate rooms, plus bathroom.
- a 3½ has a separate bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom;
- a 4½ has two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and bathroom;
- a 5½ usually has three bedrooms, and so on.
Helpful resources for finding housing
- classifieds.csu.qc.ca — see ads posted by other Concordia students looking for roommates, or individual apartments posted by landlords looking for student tenants. You can register to view ads using your offer of admission letter.
- likehome.info — offers useful information about different aspects of renting an apartment in Montreal, including an overview of Montreal neighbourhoods. Please note that the published price ranges on this site may be dated.
- places4students.com — Concordia has partnered with Places4students to offer off-campus housing options
- Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace have listings for short- and long-term rentals all over Montreal.
Helpful resources for finding a roommate
- classifieds.csu.qc.ca — post and reply to ads for roommates on the HOJO Classfieds site
- Meet-a-friend — regular events hosted by the Welcome Crew.
Questions to ask a prospective landlord and remote visits
- The COVID-19 pandemic made virtual apartment visits the norm, and this remains true. Don’t hesitate to ask for pictures or videos if you can’t tour an apartment in-person.
- Never assume that by communicating with a landlord over text or Messenger, you are making an official agreement about a lease. Until you sign a lease, you are under no obligation to commit to an agreement, and neither is the landlord. Nonetheless, be sure to use polite, professional language in all your communications with a potential landlord, even via text.
- Clarify what would be included in the rent and what is your responsibility.
- Ask if major appliances are included, such as the refrigerator and stove, or if you will have to provide your own.
- Find out whether heat is included. If not, plan for extra winter costs. You can check with Hydro Québec for the approximate cost of your electricity bill.
- Ask about the unit's history with vermin, pests and damages.
Leases and deposits
Deposits for more than the first month’s rent are not permitted in Quebec; a landlord cannot ask you for anything more than the first month's rent.
If you sign a rental application and are accepted, you are legally obligated to sign a lease.
Landlords cannot ask you for your SIN (social insurance number), student visa, credit card, or photocopy any of your personal information, though they can verify your name and address with a piece of photo ID.
Avoiding rental scams
Looking for an apartment is already stressful enough without the added time pressure and inability to visit in person. Luckily, there are many ways to lower the likelihood of getting caught in an apartment scam. Trust your gut and be critical when looking for an apartment. If something feels weird with the listing, if the application process is rushed or if the apartment seems too good to be true, it may be a scam.
Red flags (things to watch for)
- The apartment is too good to be true: Whenever you see an apartment that seems too good to be true, it probably is. An apartment that is very cheap for the size or area is a red flag.
- You are asked to send money before signing a lease or visiting the apartment (virtually or physically).
- You are asked to pay with online coupons, money transfer, cryptocurrency or other untraceable methods of payment.
- The landlord is too eager or pushy: This can be suspicious. They might claim that there is a lot of interest in the apartment to pressure you into an agreement.
- Asking for too much information.
- Requiring a deposit of more than the first month of rent when signing the lease — in Quebec, any kind of deposit is illegal.
- Refusing to sign a lease: If a landlord wants you to pay rent or any other fee without signing a lease, it might be because they don’t have a legal right to rent out that apartment, or it doesn’t exist.
- The landlord is “out of the country”: A common rental scam is a ‘landlord’ who claims they’re out of the country. Scammers may even pretend to be an agent for a real estate company or a management company acting on behalf of a landlord who’s out of the country. To verify that the person behind the listing is the landlord, do your own background check on the municipal directory of property owners or do a Google search on the management company to see if they’re trustworthy.
Tips to avoid rental scams
- Ask a friend or family member to look over the listing with you. A second pair of eyes is always helpful when looking for signs of a scam.
- Use the Google images reverse search function to see if the photos have been posted before. Apartment rental scams often copy listings from other real listings, but change details or lower the price to lure in apartment hunters.
- Do your research on the building or management company. Be sure the person you’re speaking to is the landlord or their representative, and you can find out who owns the building through the municipal directory of property owners.
- Always sign a lease. As a tenant, it’s your right to have an official Quebec lease drawn up in either French or English, the language of your choice.
- Never send money before signing a lease. When paying rent, always make sure to get a rental receipt as proof of payment.
Average neighbourhood price ranges
There are many different neighbourhoods in Montreal that can be considered good for a university student, depending on your priorities.
Here are the price ranges you can expect for each of the main areas of Montreal:
Apartment size |
Downtown Montreal |
Plateau Mont-Royal |
NDG / Westmount / Côte-Saint-Luc |
Côte-des-Neiges |
South-West Montreal & Verdun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Studio |
$800 to $1,000 |
$700 to $900 |
$600 to $800 |
$600 to $850 |
$550 to $800 |
1 bedroom |
$1,100 to $1,300 |
$800 to $1,100 |
$800 to $1,000 |
$800 to $1,200 |
$700 to $1,100 |
2 bedroom |
$1,500 to $1,800 |
$1,100 to $1,500 |
$1,000 to $1,500 |
$1,000 to $1,400 |
$750 to $1,500 |
3 bedroom |
$1,600 to $2,000 |
$1,500 to $2,000 |
$1,300 to $1,800 |
$1,200 to $1,700 |
$1,000 to $1,700 |
Closest |