Most residential leases in Quebec run July 1 to June 30 — the reference cycle. But whether your lease ends in July or any other month, legal deadlines are calculated from the LEASE END DATE, not the civil calendar. Miss one date = lose the entire procedure and wait 12 months to try again.
This calendar covers the six deadlines that structure every Quebec lease: modification notice (rent increase), tenant non-renewal, repossession, eviction, tenant refusal of modification, and TAL filing windows. Each deadline is also a placement trigger: the moment you must decide whether to launch a new marketing cycle.
Overview: the six lease deadlines
Under the Civil Code of Quebec (articles 1942 to 1960) and Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) case law, six legal windows structure the life of any lease. Reference table for a standard 12-month lease (fixed term of 6 months or more):
| Procedure | Minimum notice | For a lease ending June 30 |
|---|---|---|
| Modification notice (rent increase / condition change) | 3 to 6 months before lease end | Between January 1 and March 31 |
| Tenant non-renewal | 3 to 6 months before lease end | Between January 1 and March 31 |
| Repossession (for landlord or eligible relative) | 6 months before lease end | No later than December 31 |
| Eviction (subdivision, enlargement, change of use) | 6 months before lease end | No later than December 31 |
| Tenant response to modification notice | 1 month after receipt | Varies by sending date |
| TAL filing to fix rent (after tenant refusal) | 1 month after tenant refusal | Varies |
Deadline #1 — Lease modification notice (rent increase)
The most frequent procedure: you want to raise rent at renewal, or modify a clause (duration, services, parking). Article 1942 of the Civil Code requires a written notice sent within a precise window.
Deadlines by lease length
| Lease type | Notice sending window |
|---|---|
| Fixed term, 12 months or more | 3 to 6 months before lease end |
| Fixed term, under 12 months | 1 to 2 months before lease end |
| Indeterminate (month-to-month) | 1 to 2 months before modification date |
Consequence of missing the deadline
If you forget to send the notice within the legal window, the lease AUTOMATICALLY renews for 12 months at the same conditions — same rent, same clauses. That's tacit renewal. The only recourse is to wait until the next cycle (12 months later) to try again. See our Quebec lease renewal guide for details.
Deadline #2 — Tenant non-renewal
A tenant who wants to leave at lease end must also respect a notice period. This is the window where you, the landlord, learn that you'll have a vacant unit — and exactly the moment to launch the next placement.
| Lease type | Tenant notice |
|---|---|
| Fixed term, 12 months or more | 3 to 6 months before lease end |
| Fixed term, under 12 months | 1 to 2 months before lease end |
| Indeterminate | 1 to 2 months before departure |
Deadline #3 — Repossession
If you want to recover the unit to live in it or house an eligible relative (spouse, child, parent, or person of whom you are the primary support), the repossession notice must be sent 6 months before lease end.
Standard timeline for a lease ending June 30
- 1December 31 — deadline to send the repossession notice
- 2January 31 — deadline for written tenant response (1 month after receipt)
- 3February 28 — deadline to file with TAL if tenant refuses or is silent
- 4March to May — TAL hearing delay (2-4 months by region)
- 5Before June 30 — court decision and indemnity payment
- 6July 1 — repossession effective date
Deadline #4 — Eviction (subdivision, enlargement, change of use)
Eviction is distinct from repossession: it targets a project ON the unit (subdivide a large unit in two, enlarge, change use, demolish). Notice delay is the same as repossession — 6 months before lease end — but TAL procedure is mandatory in 100% of cases, and minimum indemnity is much higher.
| Criterion | Repossession | Eviction |
|---|---|---|
| Notice delay (lease ≥ 6 mo) | 6 months before end | 6 months before end |
| Minimum indemnity | 3 months' rent + actual costs | 24 months' rent (Bill 31) |
| TAL recourse | Mandatory if silence/refusal | Mandatory in all cases |
| Bad-faith risk | Moderate | Very high |
Deadline #5 — Tenant response to modification notice
When you send a rent-increase or modification notice, the tenant has EXACTLY 1 month (from RECEIPT, not sending) to respond in writing. Three scenarios:
- 1Tenant accepts in writing → modification takes effect on planned date.
- 2Tenant refuses in writing AND leaves the unit → lease ends, you launch placement.
- 3Tenant refuses in writing BUT stays → you have 1 month to file with TAL so the court sets rent.
- 4Tenant remains silent → silence equals ACCEPTANCE of the new rent (opposite of repossession). Lease renews at new conditions.
Deadline #6 — TAL filing after tenant refusal
If the tenant refused your modification notice and stays in the unit, you have 1 MONTH to file with the TAL and request rent fixing. Miss this window and the modification falls — lease renews at the old rent.
Our TAL rent-increase calculator applies official 2026 TAL indices to precisely quantify what the court will grant. Use it before sending the notice AND before filing with TAL to align your request with what's legally defensible.
Visual calendar — standard July 1 → June 30 lease
For a lease ending June 30 (most frequent case in Quebec), here are the six deadlines superimposed across the year:
| Deadline | Action |
|---|---|
| December 31 | Send REPOSSESSION or EVICTION notice (6 months before end) |
| January 1 | Opening of MODIFICATION / RENT-INCREASE notice window |
| January 31 | End of tenant response window for repossession (1 month) |
| February 28 | Deadline to file TAL if tenant silence/refusal on repossession |
| March 31 | CLOSING of modification / rent-increase notice window |
| April 1 → June 30 | Tenant response period, negotiations, TAL filings, and PLACEMENT LAUNCH if departure confirmed |
| July 1 | Repossession effect OR new lease begins OR renewal at new conditions |
For a lease ending another month
If your lease doesn't end June 30, apply the same logic from the end date:
- Count 6 months back for the repossession or eviction notice deadline.
- Count 3 months back for the opening of the modification window.
- Count 6 months back for the closing of the modification window (same date as repossession notice).
- Add 1 month after each sending for the tenant response deadline.
- Add 1 month after each refusal for the TAL filing deadline.
Planning placement around deadlines
For long-term landlords, these dates aren't just legal constraints — they're the natural triggers of the placement cycle. Here's how to align your strategy:
- 1On sending a repossession or eviction notice → prepare the TAL file and identify beneficiary needs.
- 2On receiving a tenant's negative response to a modification → launch the marketing (photos, price, listings) in parallel with the TAL filing.
- 3On confirmation of tenant departure → trigger pre-screening, viewings, and verification of the new tenant.
- 4On sending the modification notice → prepare a plan B: if the tenant refuses and leaves, you want to be ready to rent quickly.
Average time to lease in Montreal is 3 to 5 weeks for a well-prepared standard unit. In Laval and Longueuil, expect 4 to 6 weeks. Starting early avoids costly vacancy — see our vacancy cost calculator.
Common mistakes and consequences
- 1Sending a modification notice too early (more than 6 months before end) or too late (less than 3 months) → notice void, lease renews at same conditions.
- 2Calculating the deadline from the sending date instead of the receipt date → mismatch that can invalidate the notice.
- 3Believing tenant silence on a repossession notice equals acceptance → it's the opposite since February 2024.
- 4Forgetting the 1-month TAL filing window after a modification refusal → modification lost, lease renews at old rent.
- 5No proof of receipt (email or hand delivery without signature) → if tenant disputes receipt, procedure falls.
- 6Waiting for TAL confirmation to launch placement → 2-4 month hearing delay during which the unit stays vacant.