Quebec renters lead in homeownership hopes despite cost barriers

As Montrealers prepare for the annual moving day rush, a new report from Royal LePage reveals that nearly one in three Quebec renters considered buying a home this year before deciding to sign or renew their lease. Of those, 37 per cent said they are waiting for property prices to drop, while 27 per cent are hoping for lower interest rates.

“If I decided to stay in Montreal like that would be the number one reason and if rent prices just keep on going if it doesn’t make sense to rent anymore like I feel like that’s one of the big push to get a place before like everything goes up you know,” said Spencer, Montrealer.

“Even in a climate of high interest rates and property prices, the desire to own a home remains deeply rooted,” said Aline Zafirian, a Montreal-based real estate broker with Royal LePage Village.

Quebec renters are also less likely than those in other provinces to spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent (46 per cent, compared to 52 per cent nationally) and are more likely to report not having made financial sacrifices to cover housing costs.

Housing advocacy group Front d’Action Populaire en Réaménagement Urbain (FRAPRU) says those comparisons can be misleading. They warn that “we comfort ourselves by comparing with others” narrative doesn’t match what’s really happening in Montreal, where rent has jumped 71 per cent since 2019, according to Statistics Canada.

“If we compare ourselves to Toronto, to Vancouver, and to other big cities in Canada, Montreal looks still affordable but we’re losing this affordability and fast also,” said Catherine Lussier, coordinator at FRAPRU. “When you look at some neighborhoods in one year only, it was increase of 20 per cent, increase in one year only.”

Some Montrealers say even affording a single room in a shared apartment is becoming harder.

“When I moved to Montreal initially I was paying $575 for three bedroom and that doesn’t include utilities and so now I’m moving into a four bedroom in the Mile End and that’s again four bedrooms without many utilities and that’s $745 or something and again for a four bedroom that’s like quite a lot I think in my opinion,” said Emily Shaw, Montrealer.

“I got a lease transfer recently and it did increase by like 10 per cent because it’s a relatively newer unit, so yeah it’s not looking good if it keeps going up like that,” said Spencer.

Renters identified building more affordable housing (58 per cent), stronger protections against evictions (53 per cent), and stricter rent control (39 per cent) as top policy priorities.

“We really need a rent control and we need to have alternative out of the market and that for that we need the Quebec government that wants to invest in those that he should have many years ago,” said Lussier.

While recent provincial legislation, including Quebec’s Bill 31, has aimed to address tenant protections, nearly 40 per cent of respondents believe more must be done to regulate rent increases and secure housing affordability.

Despite economic challenges, Zafirian remains optimistic.

“Quebec’s market still offers relative affordability compared to other provinces,” said Zafirian. “Renters are being strategic—saving, planning, and waiting for the right time. Many are positioning themselves to buy in the future.”

Average rents in Quebec dipped slightly in 2025, with one-bedroom units renting for $1,703 and two-bedrooms for $2,154, down 1.0 and 2.0 per cent respectively from last year.