Owner tool — Renewal decision
Renew at TAL or re-rent at market? — Quebec lease decision tool
See, in seconds, whether the legal TAL renewal is close to market for your unit in Montreal, Laval or Longueuil — or whether re-renting captures enough gain to justify a short vacancy. Free, no signup.
TAL 2026 indices
Your unit
Observed median outside July 1: 30 days in Montreal/Laval/Longueuil. Shorter with a well-prepared placement.
Fill in rent, city, and unit type to see the recommendation.
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers for tenants and owners across Greater Montreal.
- How do I decide between renewing at the TAL increase and re-renting at market?
- Compare the annualized gap (market rent − TAL-renewed rent) against the expected vacancy cost (vacancy days × market rent ÷ 30). If the gap clearly exceeds the vacancy cost, re-renting wins. If they are close, the value of an in-place, reliable tenant usually beats a marginal upside. This tool runs that comparison automatically.
- Where does the market rent estimate come from?
- From the same city × bedroom medians the rent-price-estimator uses for Montreal, Laval and Longueuil. It's a baseline, not a per-listing appraisal — a tool to flag obvious gaps. For the actual achievable rent on your specific unit (neighborhood, condition, inclusions), an AA Location broker can give you a precise number.
- Why doesn't the calculator ask for taxes or capital works?
- Most owners don't have those bills handy when running this decision. The simplified TAL increase (base + heating) is enough to compare scenarios. If you have significant tax changes or major-works to recover, use our full TAL rent-increase calculator — the additional pass-throughs only raise the renewed rent, which usually strengthens the 'renew' case.
- Is the recommendation conservative?
- Yes, intentionally. The thresholds (renew below 5% gap, re-rent above 12%) reflect the realistic friction of turnover in Quebec: a new lease signing takes 2–4 weeks of structured work and carries a small but non-zero risk of an inferior tenant. A small paper gain rarely justifies that risk.
- What does 'vacancy days' mean in this tool?
- The expected number of days the unit sits empty between the current tenant leaving and the new lease starting. The median we see across Montreal, Laval and Longueuil outside July 1 is around 30 days for a well-prepared placement. Poor listings can stretch this to 60+ days; very tight markets and well-priced units can compress it to under 15 days.
- Can AA Location handle the re-rental for me?
- Yes. Tenant placement is our primary service. We filter inquiries, request complete files, verify with consent, and a real-estate broker on our team coordinates the lease signing. You keep the final decision; we handle the work that makes the new lease defensible.