Renting an apartment near McGill from abroad

Start with your study documents

To study in Québec for more than six months, most international students need two documents: a Québec Acceptance Certificate for studies (CAQ) from the Québec government, then a study permit from the federal government. Québec advises applying for the CAQ as soon as you have your letter of admission, and for the study permit as soon as your CAQ is confirmed.

Your arrival date depends on these documents, so keep it in mind when you choose a lease start date.

When to look for an apartment

Most Montréal leases run from July 1 to June 30, and near McGill, furnished apartments often have leases starting May 1, July 1 or September 1. Ours do too. If you start classes in September, look in spring or early summer.

Seeing an apartment from another country

• Use 3D tours where they exist: most of our available apartments have one online, so you can walk through each room before you decide
• Ask for the full address and look it up on a map; a real landlord has no reason to hide it
• If a friend or relative lives in Montréal, ask them to visit for you
• Ask what is included: furniture, kitchenware, internet, heating, hot water and electricity
• In Québec, a lease can be signed without meeting in person: the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) explains how to sign and exchange it by email. Ask the landlord how signing works for their apartments

What a landlord may ask for

Before signing, a Québec landlord may ask to see a piece of identification, ask for the name and contact details of your previous landlords and, with your consent, run a credit check. Students and newcomers often have no rental or credit history in Canada, and still need to show they can pay. The TAL says it is up to the parties to agree on legally permissible ways to do that, which is often where a guarantor comes in.

For our apartments, our rental application page lists what to have ready, and our leasing team will tell you what they need for your situation. Each person who will sign the lease applies with their own link.

Guarantors

A guarantor (in Québec law, a surety, or caution) is someone who agrees to pay if the tenant does not. It is often a parent. A guarantee is never presumed: it must be stated clearly, and a guarantor signs the lease stating the capacity in which they sign. Ask the landlord early who can act as your guarantor. Our guide for parents and guarantors explains what a guarantor signs.

Deposits: what the law allows

In Québec, a landlord can only require the first month's rent in advance. They cannot require a deposit or any other sum of money, such as a security deposit, a key deposit or the last month's rent, and cannot require post-dated cheques. Someone asking you for a large "deposit" to hold an apartment is a warning sign.

Avoiding rental scams

The Competition Bureau of Canada lists the signs of a rental scam. Watch for them, especially when you cannot visit in person.

• The rent is lower than for similar places
• You are asked for a deposit before there is any lease
• You are asked to send money to someone outside the country
• A reply sends you to a website that asks for personal or financial information
• The photos show only the outside of the building, or do not match the address
• Never wire money for an apartment you have not seen, without the full address and a lease on the official TAL form

Before you sign

• The lease must be on the mandatory TAL form, and the landlord must give you a copy within 10 days of signing
• Section G of the lease shows the lowest rent paid for the apartment in the past 12 months
• The landlord must give you the building rules before you sign; they become part of your lease
• Check the lease start date against your study permit and travel plans