Renting a Room in Quebec: The Lease Modification Notice

A rented room is a residential lease

Example: Sophie rents a room in an apartment you own but do not live in. Her lease runs for one year. The residential lease rules of the Civil Code of Québec apply (article 1892): a written notice of modification, a one-month reply period and recourse to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL).

The big difference is the timing. For an apartment, the notice is given months ahead. For a room, the window is 10 to 20 days (article 1942).

The exception: a room in your principal residence

Example: you live in your house and rent a room to Jérôme. He comes in through the main door and shares your bathroom. It is the only room you rent out or offer for rent. In that case, the residential lease rules do not apply to his room.

A room in a hotel establishment is also excluded. Check which case applies to you before you send the notice and, if in doubt, ask the TAL.

For a room in your principal residence, the exception applies only if all 4 conditions are met. If even one is missing, for example if the room has its own bathroom, the exception does not apply. The 4 conditions:

• The room is in the landlord's principal residence.
• No more than 2 rooms there are rented or offered for rent.
• The room has no separate exit to the outside.
• The room has no sanitary facilities (bathroom) separate from the landlord's.

The timing: 10 to 20 days

Example: Sophie pays $600 a month and her lease ends June 30. To raise it to $625 at renewal, she must receive the notice at least 10 days and at most 20 days before the lease ends, so between June 11 and June 20.

If the room is rented for an indeterminate term, you count from the date of the change. The guide on indeterminate-term leases covers that case. Either way, what counts is the date of receipt. Other examples:

• Lease ending August 31: notice received between August 12 and August 21.
• Lease ending December 31: notice received between December 12 and December 21.
• Indeterminate term, new rent on October 1: notice received between September 11 and September 20.

A short window: plan the delivery days

Example: for the lease ending June 30, you send the notice by registered mail on June 8. If it is delivered June 10, it arrives one day too early. If it is held up until June 22, it arrives too late, with no time left to deliver it another way.

With a window this short, proof of receipt and its date matter even more. Hand delivery is the most direct option: have the tenant date and sign the acknowledgment of receipt on the official form. By registered mail, plan the sending date around delivery time. Counting the days can be open to debate, so do not aim for the last day.

With ProprioSign, you mark the unit as a room, and the app shows the receipt window you must meet. Each tenant confirms receipt with a dated click. If that confirmation does not come within the first few days, hand-deliver the notice before the window closes.

Everything else: the same rules as an apartment

Example: Sophie receives the notice on June 12. If she refuses the increase, she must reply in writing by July 12. If she does not reply, she is deemed to have accepted the new conditions.

The rest does not change:

• The notice is in writing, in the language of the lease, dated and signed by the landlord or their mandatary (authorized representative).
• It reproduces the mandatory text in force since December 26, 2024. The official TAL form (TAL-806A-E) contains it on page 2, which is part of the notice.
• Each tenant who signed the lease gets their own notice.
• After a refusal, you have one month from receiving it to apply to the TAL. Otherwise, the lease renews at the same rent and conditions.