Shared flat or student housing in Montreal: how to find the right one

Shared flat, apartment of your own or residence: how to find housing when studying in Montreal, with rents, neighborhoods and Quebec rules.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

4 August 2023

Updated on

6 October 2026

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For a student arriving in Montreal, three options are available: a shared flat, an apartment of your own and a residence run by an educational institution. The shared flat is often the most accessible, because it lets you split the rent of a large home. An apartment of your own offers more peace and quiet but weighs more on the budget, and places in residences must be requested early from your institution.

The market has eased a little. According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the apartment vacancy rate reached 2.9% in 2025 in the Montreal region, against 2.1% in 2024. The CMHC attributes this rise in part to the fall in the number of non-permanent residents, including international students. Rents, however, keep rising: the average rent for a two-bedroom home rose 7.2% in a year, the biggest rise among large Canadian cities according to Radio-Canada.

Here is how to compare the options, which neighborhoods to consider, what Quebec law says and how to prepare your application from France.

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Shared flat, apartment of your own or residence: how to choose

The shared flat

In Montreal, homes are described by their number of rooms: a 3½ has one bedroom, a 4½ two bedrooms, a 5½ three bedrooms. A shared flat is most often set up in a 4½ or a 5½. According to the site's Montreal page, a 4½ rents for an average of around CA$1,803 per month and a 5½ around CA$2,143 on the market: shared by two or three people, that comes to about CA$900 or CA$715 per person, before electricity and internet.

Before you commit, ask three questions: will your name be on the lease, who pays the rent to the landlord, and how are the bills split. A sublease or a shared flat without a lease in your name leaves you with less recourse in case of a disagreement.

An apartment of your own

A 3½ costs an average of about CA$1,423 per month according to the page, and a studio (2½) can be found from CA$1,000 to CA$1,200 in the outlying neighborhoods. It is the most expensive option, but also the easiest to manage on your own.

A residence run by an educational institution

It follows special rules, detailed by the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). The lease is not renewed automatically: to keep your room the following year, you must give notice one month before the end of the lease, and you are entitled to it as long as you are enrolled full time at that institution. You can neither sublet nor assign your lease, and it ends when you finish your studies or are no longer enrolled. A lease granted for the summer alone gives no right to remain in the premises.

Together we will find your home

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Neighborhoods to consider

The site's Montreal page describes the main areas as follows:

Ville-Marie (downtown): near the universities and businesses, but with the highest rents on the island.
Plateau-Mont-Royal: a cultural atmosphere, in high demand, high rents. A sought-after address for shared flats, provided you start early.
Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie: a lively neighborhood near the Jean-Talon market, with moderate to high rents.
Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension: growing, popular with newcomers, with rising rents.
Verdun: on the riverfront, with mid-range rents.
Montréal-Nord, Anjou, Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles: the most affordable rents on the island, but longer trips to the centre.

For a student, the right calculation combines rent and travel time. A cheaper room far from the metro can cost dearly in lost hours during the winter. The monthly OPUS transit pass for zone A costs about CA$104.50 according to the page.

The timeline: 1 July

Most Montreal leases start on 1 July. For a September start, the page advises searching two to three months ahead. A shared flat looking for a replacement during the year is often a good opportunity for a semester starting in January.

The rules to know in Quebec

No security deposit: the landlord cannot demand a payment of more than one month's rent, nor more than the first month paid in advance, according to the TAL.
The official lease: every residential lease must be drawn up on the TAL's mandatory form, the Montreal page points out.
Payment: rent can be paid in Canadian cash, by money order, certified cheque or transfer if the landlord can process it. They are not required to accept an ordinary cheque or a partial payment, unless agreed.
Documents: according to the page, a landlord has no need to ask for your social insurance number or your bank statements, or to keep a copy of your ID. They may ask you for references and run a credit check.

Your application from France

With no Canadian credit history, an international student starts at a disadvantage. Prepare proof of resources (scholarship, certificate of transfer from your parents, savings), an admission letter, an ID and, if possible, a reference from a former landlord. Offering a guarantor also reassures. And never send money for a home nobody has visited: the Montreal page notes that remote scams exist, particularly on general-purpose platforms.

Getting help on the ground

Searching for a shared flat or student apartment from abroad often means having to sign without seeing the home, as 1 July approaches. A Remoters home finder based in Montreal can search for you according to your budget and your institution, visit properties, check the lease and help you put together an application that reassures landlords. The first conversation and the quote are free.