Quebec 2025 Rent Increase: The TAL's 5.9% Recommendation and How It Was Applied
by Platuni | 06 Oct, 2026 | 5 mins read
Platuni
06 October, 2026
5 mins read
1. What the TAL published on January 21, 2025
The TAL released its applicable percentages for the 2025 rent adjustment on January 21, 2025. The tribunal said the calculation uses Quebec Consumer Price Index components for electricity, gas, heating oil, maintenance, building services, personal services and management, and that for capital expenditures it uses the average interest rate of Canadian trust companies increased by 1%.
[Cite: Tribunal administratif du logement, 2025 rent-fixing release (January 21, 2025)]
CBC reported the headline figure as 5.9% for homes where heat is not included in the rent, for the period April 2, 2025 to April 1, 2026.
[Cite: CBC News, "Recommended rent increase for 2025 hits historic high in Quebec"]
2. Figures where heating was included
For dwellings where the landlord provided heating, CBC reported 5.5% for electric heating, 5.0% for natural gas and 4.1% for heating oil.
[Cite: CBC News, "Recommended rent increase for 2025 hits historic high in Quebec"]
The TAL's own percentage table for notices given before January 1, 2026 lists component rates including electricity 2.9%, gas 13.7%, heating oil 4.9%, maintenance 5.7%, building services 3.4%, personal services 6.3%, management 7.2%, net income 5.7% and capital expenditures 4%. That table appears to be the 2025 set, but the page does not label it by year, so confirm before relying on it for a past dispute.
[Cite: Tribunal administratif du logement, "Applicable percentages to the criteria for the fixing of rent"]
3. Why 5.9% was not an automatic increase
The TAL says each calculation is specific to the building or dwelling concerned and provides an online tool, in French only, where landlord and tenant enter the building's figures. The 5.9% was reported as the headline result for homes where heat is not included in the rent.
[Cite: Tribunal administratif du logement, "Applicable percentages"]
A tenant could refuse an increase. If the landlord then applied to the TAL, the tribunal would set the rent using the building's actual costs.
4. How the notice process worked
For a lease of 12 months or more, the landlord gave written notice 3 to 6 months before the end date. The tenant had one month to accept, refuse and stay, or leave. A tenant who did not respond was presumed to have accepted.
[Cite: OACIQ, "Lease renewal and modification"; TAL form 819A-E]
If the tenant refused, the landlord had one month to apply to the TAL. A landlord who did not apply saw the lease renew on the same terms under article 1947 of the Civil Code.
[Cite: OACIQ, "Lease renewal and modification"]
The TAL's 2025 release adds that in certain exceptional cases a refusal obliges the tenant to leave the dwelling.
[Cite: Tribunal administratif du logement, 2025 rent-fixing release]
5. Why 2025 stood out
Reporting at the time put the previous year's average increase at 4%. Tenant advocates called 5.9% catastrophic, a landlords' association said owners were catching up with their costs, and the housing minister pointed to supply and not rent control as the answer.
[Cite: CBC News, "Recommended rent increase for 2025 hits historic high in Quebec"]
6. What replaced the method
In April 2025, the government announced a simpler method. CBC reported that the 2025 figure would have been 4.5% under it. The new method, in force for notices given from January 1, 2026, uses four criteria and a three-year CPI average, and sets the base at 3.1% for 2026.
[Cite: CBC News, "After biggest rent hike in decades, Quebec changing method to calculate it"; Tribunal administratif du logement, summary of regulatory changes (December 2025)]
A 2025 increase that took effect after January 1, 2026 still follows the earlier method if the notice was given before that date.
[Cite: Tribunal administratif du logement, summary of regulatory changes (December 2025)]
7. If a 2025 increase is still in question
A tenant who refused an increase in 2025 and whose landlord applied to the TAL will have a file decided on the building's costs under the earlier method. A tenant who accepted by silence is generally treated as bound.
The sources reviewed do not set out how a tenant can reopen an accepted increase, so a tenant with a concern should contact a housing committee or the TAL.
8. What property managers should do now
Keep the 2025 notices, proof of delivery and calculation sheets for each unit, particularly where a refusal went to the TAL. Check the date of any notice still in play, because the old method follows the notice date and not the date the rent changes.
For current planning, switch to the 3.1% base and the four criteria used for notices given in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What was the TAL's recommended increase for 2025?
5.9% for a dwelling where heat is not included, according to news reports of the TAL's January 21, 2025 release.
What about units where heating was included?
CBC reported 5.5% for electric heating, 5.0% for natural gas and 4.1% for heating oil.
Was 5.9% the most a landlord could charge?
It was the reference figure. The TAL calculates each case building by building if the increase is refused.
How long did a tenant have to respond?
One month from receiving the notice.
Is the 2025 method still used?
Only for notices given before January 1, 2026. Later notices use the simplified method with a 3.1% base for 2026.
Which period did the 2025 figures cover?
Leases from April 2, 2025 to April 1, 2026.
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