The Quebec Lease Form: What Section G Means and Why It Matters

Quebec is one of the few places in North America where the lease itself is a government form. Not a template your landlord downloaded — the official TAL (Tribunal administratif du logement) form, mandatory for residential rentals, with the same boxes everywhere. Most tenants sign it in four minutes without reading it. Inside is a short section, Section G, that can be worth several hundred dollars a year, and a 10-day window that most people miss entirely. Here's what's actually on the page.

(New to renting here? Start with our how to rent a room guide.)

It's a government form, and that's the point

The mandatory lease form means the terms can't be quietly rewritten building to building. Your rights come from the Civil Code, not from what you negotiated, and a clause that contradicts the law is simply void — even if you signed it.

That changes how you read a lease. You're not checking whether the terms are fair; most of them aren't the landlord's to set. You're checking the few boxes that genuinely vary: rent, dates, what's included, and Section G.

Section G: the previous tenant's rent

This is the part worth knowing.

The form requires the landlord to state the lowest rent paid in the twelve months before your lease begins — what the last tenant actually paid. There's also a line for any notice of rent increase or legal proceeding affecting that amount.

Why it matters: if the rent you're being asked to pay is well above that figure, you can contest it. Not negotiate — contest, at the TAL, which can set the rent itself.

The window is 10 days from signing. Miss it and the rent stands for the term.

What to do:

1. Read Section G before signing, not after
2. If the jump is large and unexplained, ask the landlord why — renovations and new services are legitimate reasons
3. If the answer doesn't hold, file at the TAL within 10 days
4. If the landlord left Section G blank or false, your window is longer — generally two months from the start of the lease

Landlords sometimes leave it empty and hope nobody notices. An empty Section G is not a dead end; it's an extension.

What a landlord cannot ask for

Regardless of what any lease says:

• A security deposit. Illegal in Quebec. Only the first month's rent may be collected, and not before the lease starts. No damage deposit, no key deposit, no last month's rent.
• Post-dated cheques as a condition. You may offer them; they can't be required.
• A fee to consider your application.
• Automatic rent increases written into the lease. Increases follow their own notice process.
• A clause waiving your right to the TAL. Void.
• A ban on subletting or lease transfer. The law gives you that right; a lease can't remove it — see our sublet guide.

If you already paid a "deposit," you can claim it back at the TAL. More in our tenant rights guide.

The rest of the form, briefly

Parties and dwelling — names, address, unit number. Check the unit number matches the one you viewed.

Term — start and end dates. Most run July 1 to June 30; yours may not. Note the end date, because your notice window is counted backwards from it (3–6 months on a 12-month lease). Our ending a lease guide covers the calendar.

Rent and payment — amount, due date, method.

Services and conditions — the box that decides your real monthly cost. Heating, electricity, hot water, appliances, parking, storage, furniture. "Chauffé" means heat is included; silence means it isn't. Our heating cost guide shows what that difference is worth.

Restrictions — pets, smoking, noise. Some are enforceable, some aren't. A no-pet clause is generally enforceable in Quebec; a clause removing a statutory right is not.

By-laws of the building — if the landlord wants these to bind you, they must be given to you before you sign. Handed over afterwards, they generally don't apply.

Signatures — the landlord must give you a copy within 10 days.

Before you sign: a short checklist

• Read Section G and compare it to your rent
• Confirm what's included — heat, electricity, hot water, internet, appliances
• Check the end date and note your notice window in your calendar the same day
• Photograph the unit at move-in, every room, timestamped. This is what settles disputes at move-out.
• Get the by-laws before signing, if there are any
• Pay no deposit — and treat a request for one as a signal about the whole tenancy
• Keep your copy, plus every text and email with the landlord

And one that costs nothing: ask what the Hydro-Québec bill ran last winter. A landlord who knows and tells you is usually a landlord who maintains the building.

Where coliving sits

Furnished coliving rooms often operate under a different kind of agreement than the standard residential lease — service-based, month to month, with the operator retaining more control of common areas. The protections that matter most still travel with you: no deposit is legal in Quebec under any arrangement, and the terms must be in writing.

What you should still insist on, whatever the paperwork is called: written dates, written rent, written list of inclusions, written notice period. At Coliville that's a monthly agreement from C$160/week with all services named in the rate and no deposit.

FAQ

What is Section G on a Quebec lease? The box where the landlord must state the lowest rent paid in the 12 months before your lease. It's the basis for contesting an excessive increase.

How long do I have to contest the rent? 10 days from signing the lease. If Section G was left blank or false, generally two months from the start of the lease.

Can a Montreal landlord ask for a security deposit? No. Deposits are illegal in Quebec. Only first month's rent may be collected.

Is the TAL lease form mandatory? Yes, for residential leases in Quebec. The form is standard; only the filled-in details change.

Can a lease ban subletting? No. The right to sublet or transfer the lease is statutory and a clause removing it is void.

Bottom line

The Quebec lease is a government form, which means almost everything in it is already decided — your job is the handful of boxes that aren't. Read Section G before you sign, write your notice window into your calendar on day one, photograph the unit, and pay no deposit, because there is no legal deposit to pay.

Want an agreement that's short and says exactly what's included? Coliville — furnished rooms from C$160/week, monthly terms, all services named in the rate, no deposit and no credit check.