Are you renting an apartment, a room, a house or any other kind of residential dwelling? If you receive a lease modification notice, you have a number of different options.
The lease: Your rental contract
A landlord who wants to rent out a dwelling has to prepare a lease. This document specifies the commitments of the landlord and the tenant, including the amount of the rent.
To live in the dwelling, the tenant has to accept the conditions in this rental contract.
Lease modification notice
After a certain period, your landlord may want to increase your rent or change other conditions in your lease. If so, the landlord has to send you a written modification notice, within a particular time period.
As of December 26, 2024, a regulation obliges the landlord to clearly state your three possible responses to this notice. You can decide to:
1. Renew your lease and accept the modifications.
No action is required on your part and you can stay in your residence.
2. Renew your lease but refuse the modifications.
You have one month from the time you receive the notice to inform your landlord of your decision to refuse the modifications. As soon as you do this, your landlord has one month to approach the Tribunal administrative du logement (TAL). The TAL will then decide on the modifications that can be made to the lease, including the amount of the rent. Both you and your landlord will have to comply with the new terms decided by the TAL. If your landlord does not contact the TAL, your lease will be renewed without any modifications.
In some very specific situations, you cannot renew your lease if you refuse the proposed modifications. If you are in one of these situations, you will have to leave the rented premises at the end of the lease.
3. Not renew your lease and leave the dwelling.
You also have one month from the time you receive the notice to inform your landlord of your decision. Of course, you will have to move out at the end of your lease.
What if you do not agree to the proposed changes but you did not inform your landlord by the one-month deadline? Your lease will be renewed automatically and it will include the modifications the landlord requested, including the increase in rent.
Questions or problems?
Do you have a problem with your landlord? You can file an application with the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL).
Are you dissatisfied with the TAL’s services or processing time? Feel free to reach out to the Protecteur du citoyen.
Do you want to contest a TAL decision? The Protecteur du citoyen cannot overturn it, but there are other forms of recourse available to you.
See also: Eviction: Can the owner force me out of my apartment?
