Check your Quebec rental listing for discrimination risk
Many listings use — often by habit — phrases that violate the Charter of Human Rights. Paste your text below: we detect problematic phrases and suggest compliant rephrasings.
Your listing
Paste the text to check
What we check
- Family status / children
- Age (except majority)
- Origin / Nationality
- Religion
- Sex / Gender
- Pregnancy
- Disability
- Social condition (welfare, employment)
Paste at least 20 characters of your listing to start the analysis.
The legal framework
Why listing compliance is critical in Quebec
The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (article 10) prohibits any discrimination based on protected criteria. Article 12 applies that prohibition explicitly to housing. The Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) regularly receives complaints — many stem simply from listing wording.
Possible sanctions in case of a founded complaint
Damages ordered by the Human Rights Tribunal typically range from $1,000 to $10,000 per case, sometimes more if bad faith is shown. Add legal fees and reputational cost — a published decision durably affects your ability to lease.
Most common pitfalls owners don't see
- • 'Ideal for young couple' — age discrimination
- • 'Quiet family welcome' — targets family status
- • 'Professionals only' — social-condition exclusion
- • 'No social assistance' — social-condition exclusion
- • 'Francophone preferred' or 'native Quebecker' — origin discrimination
What you CAN write safely
Describe the UNIT, not the demographic profile: bedrooms, surface, inclusions, use rules (non-smoker, pets, lease length), transit/service proximity, rent and payment terms. Ask for proof of payment capacity (covers all legitimate sources) rather than 'stable employment' which excludes.
Go further
Compliance and best practices
Everything to know about objective selection and Charter/CDPDJ compliance in Quebec.
How to avoid discrimination in tenant selection in Quebec
Quebec's Charter forbids certain selection criteria. Here's the complete list, the most common (often unintentional) pitfalls, and the method to stay fully compliant with the Charter and CDPDJ guidelines.
5 objective criteria for picking the right tenant in Quebec
In Quebec, tenant selection must rest on objective criteria only. Here are the 5 criteria that make the difference — and the list of those you can never use.
How to write a rental listing that attracts the right candidates
Listing structure that converts, words that attract serious profiles (and naturally filter the rest), Quebec legal compliance, and 10 mistakes that scare away good candidates.
How to screen a tenant legally in Quebec
Legal framework, written consent, accepted verifications, and mistakes to avoid: the complete guide to screening a tenant candidate in Quebec without legal risk.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers for tenants and owners across Greater Montreal.
- Which phrases are actually forbidden in Quebec?
- Article 10 of the Quebec Charter forbids any discrimination in housing (article 12) based on: race, colour, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation, civil status, age (except legal majority), religion, political beliefs, language, ethnic or national origin, social condition, disability. Any listing phrase that targets or excludes a person on one of these criteria is illegal — even subtly worded ('quiet family', 'young professional', 'mature preferred', etc.).
- Is a 100%-compliant listing enough to avoid a CDPDJ complaint?
- No. Listing compliance is one step, but not the only one. Your qualifying questions, candidate communications, and selection process matter too. A perfectly neutral listing followed by 'Are you married?' on the phone exposes you just as much. Our checker looks at the text; you remain responsible for the full process.
- My tool says everything is OK — am I legally safe?
- No absolute guarantee. The tool detects the most frequently problematic phrases via a pattern list. But subtle wording, photo subtext (e.g., 'ideal for elderly' implied visually but not written), or overall context can still pose problems. If in doubt, have your listing reviewed by a professional — that's exactly what our placement service includes.
- Can I prohibit pets in my listing?
- Yes. Pets are NOT a Charter-protected criterion. You can require 'no pets' in the lease. Caution however with guide dogs and assistance animals for people with disabilities: refusing a guide dog is disability discrimination, which IS prohibited.
- What if my condo has rules forbidding children?
- A co-ownership rule that forbids children generally violates the Charter (family status is protected) and is therefore unenforceable. Citing such a rule in your listing exposes you to a CDPDJ complaint and potentially the syndicate. If your declaration of co-ownership has such a clause, have it reviewed by a lawyer before relying on it.
- Can I write 'non-smoker' or 'stable employment required'?
- 'Non-smoker' is generally accepted because it's a unit-use rule, not a protected personal criterion (you're not refusing a smoker — you're forbidding smoking). 'Stable employment required' is riskier: it can exclude legitimate income sources (self-employed, retired, scholarship student, social-assistance recipient). Better: ask for 'proof of payment capacity' which covers all legitimate sources.
- Does AA Location write compliant listings?
- Yes. It's even a standard of our placement service: Charter- and CDPDJ-compliant listing, distribution on the right channels, pre-screening on objective criteria only, lease signing coordinated by an OACIQ broker. The owner always keeps the final decision.
AA Location — Compliant listings by default
Have your listing written risk-free
Our placement service includes Charter-compliant listing copywriting, targeted distribution, pre-screening on objective criteria only, and lease signing coordinated by an OACIQ broker.