Quebec Has A New Rent Registry To Hold Landlords Accountable & Help You Avoid Price Hikes
An interactive solution to protect renters and save them money amid the provincial housing crisis.
A view of Montreal and the Olympic Stadium from a lookout on Mont Royal.
In the face of an escalating housing crisis in Quebec, a new interactive tool aims to bring much-needed transparency to rental prices, with hopes of protecting tenants from the province's skyrocketing rates.
The Rent Registry, created by local non-profit Vivre en Ville, offers historical data on rental rates to protect tenants from excessive increases and curb real estate inflation.
A recent Léger Marketing survey reveals that in 2023, average rent in Quebec spiked by an alarming 19% upon tenant relocation — a jump that forced many renters into difficult financial situations. A further 32% of renters reported feeling pressured into accepting unreasonable price hikes.
Around 80% of tenants indicated they were unaware of clause G in their lease agreements, which details the lowest price paid for their accommodation in the past 12 months — a critical piece of information that could empower tenants in rent negotiations.
"The pace of rent increase is unsustainable, largely due to the lack of information on previous rents," said Adam Mongrain of Vivre en Ville. By providing a comprehensive archive of rents paid, the Rent Registry could offer valuable insights to tenants and potentially restore balance to an increasingly one-sided rental market.
Tenants are encouraged to contribute to the tool by entering their own rent details, including descriptions of their rental unit and the rental price. The information is added anonymously to protect personal data, and the more tenants participate, the more comprehensive — and powerful — the Rent Registry becomes.
Vivre en Ville envisions the Rent Registry as a solution to fill a glaring information gap, offering an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the provincial rental market situation — a resource previously unavailable to tenants.
The tool, accessible at registredesloyers.quebec, has already received support from numerous institutions, including Centraide of Greater Montreal, the Laval Public Health Department and student housing non-profit UTILE, as well as the municipal governments of Rimouski and Gatineau.
