1 in 5 Quebecers had trouble paying rent last year: study

A poster advertising a rental property in Montreal, July 2, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

A new survey shows one in five Quebecers struggled to pay rent over the last year.

The Leger survey, done in partnership with Vivre en Ville, says this represents about 700,000 people in Quebec. One in 10 say it happened more than once.

Montrealers are especially affected — 25 per cent of renters struggled to pay their rent in 2025.

Large rent increases

According to the Vivre en Ville report, the average rent in Quebec went up by nearly $150 per month since 2023, representing an increase of $1,800 per year for a tenant. Vivre en Ville highlights it’s the equivalent of two extra months’ rent added over two years.

The average rent paid by Quebecers prior to July 1, 2025 — when the largest rent increases in decades were issued — was $1,074, up from $1,001 in 2024.

Vivre en Ville’s Adam Mongrain stresses rent increases compound every year.

Tenants are also cautious to exercise their rights when it comes to abusive rent hikes. Over a quarter (29 per cent) said they would accept such an increase as they have no other choice, while another 18 per cent said they would consider moving out.

Only eight per cent of respondents said they opened a case at the housing tribunal (TAL) to dispute a rent increase.

Some are staying in inadequate housing as a result, with 10 per cent of respondents saying their dwelling is in poor condition.

Less than a quarter of tenants who moved into a new place last year say their landlord properly filled out section G of their lease, which shows the highest rent paid by a tenant in the last 12 months. Tenants can open a rent fixation case at the TAL if a landlord tries to hike the rent more than is allowed.

Renters ‘can no longer keep up’

The situation is alarming, says Vivre en Ville director Christian Savard.

“This is no longer an isolated crisis; it is a social emergency that is hitting Quebec hard,” he says.

Many workers between the ages of 35 and 54 are struggling to make ends meet, the report shows. About one-third of respondents in the age group say they feel under financial pressure.

A third of those who say they have a hard time paying rent are single-parent households.

“We’re talking about people who work, who have dependents, who contribute to the economy. They can no longer keep up,” says Mongrain, stressing that families are particularly hard-hit.

“This reality explains why the face of homelessness and precariousness is changing,” he adds.

• READ MORE: You need to make $33 an hour to afford a one-bedroom in Montreal

Geoffroy Boucher, an economist at the Quebec Observatory on Inequality, says that faced with these choices families may cut elsewhere in their budget. This leads to issues like food insecurity and health problems, he says.

About eight per cent of respondents experienced homelessness, most of whom went through a period of unemployment or earned less than $20,000. Another eight per cent receive rent subsidies, most of whom live in private seniors’ residences (57 per cent).

Home ownership out of reach for most

Only 22 per cent say they’re considering eventually buying property, a dream that feels out of reach for most respondents. Of those, almost half make more than $100,000 per year, over a third have university degrees, about a third are between 18 and 34.

Meanwhile, Vivre en Ville says the vacancy rate and housing starts in Montreal show progress in supply but not in affordability.

• READ MORE: Rents in Montreal went up an all-time high in 2025, CMHC report shows

“The study’s findings clearly show that for virtually everyone in Quebec, the situation is stagnating or worsening rather than improving,” says the organization.

David Goulet, economic director at the Quebec Association of Construction and Housing Professionals, adds that it’s “imperative” for the governments and stakeholders to “understand how the housing stock is changing and what households’ real ability to pay is.”

“We can clearly see that people have fewer and fewer options,” says Goulet.

Average rents are highest in Outaouais ($1,259), Laval ($1,233) and Montreal ($1,152). Rents are most affordable in Centre-du-Québec ($807), Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean ($781) and the Bas-Saint-Laurent ($767).

For the study, Leger surveyed 5,506 tenants above the age of 18 between Aug. 27 and Sept. 18, 2025.