When is the best time to begin your search?
Temporary housing
Housing search help
What type of dwelling should I choose?
Renting an apartment on your own
Flat sharing with roommates (or renting a room)
Student residences at Université de Montréal
Living with a homestay family
Apartments and general terminology
We strongly recommend you to wait until you arrive in Montréal to avoid unpleasant surprises. We recommend that you arrived two weeks before the begin of the class to have time to find a place.
The great majority of leases in Montréal are generally signed in the spring and begin July 1st for a 12-month duration. If you can come to Montréal in March or April, you should begin your search at that time.
If you are not here at this time, which is the case for international students or those from remote areas, you will still find many offers during the summer. In residential areas close to the School, some flat owners wait until just before the beginning of the term to put up a sign. Furthermore, there are many sub-leasing offers and flat sharing offers for students in the weeks that precede an academic term.
It is imperative that you reserve temporary housing for your first few nights in Montréal, until you find a place and can arrange to move in. We recommend you reserve a room for one week and adjust the length of your stay if you find something more quickly.
Here are some useful websites for reserving temporary housing in Montreal:
Students may seek help at the Welcome Kiosk of the Student Services and the International Student Affaires (ISA) office in the days during the welcoming weeks. Also, ISA holds workshops on housing search hints. Their aim is to give you enough time armed with the required knowledge regarding the Montreal housing market to find housing before classes start.
| Tools to Help You Find Accommodation | Fall 2012 | Winter 2013 |
Accommodation Research Workshop |
|
|
Personalized help drop-in sessions |
|
|
| I'm looking for a roomate |
*Attention: Workshops on August 15 and 21 will be at Polytechnique School. Don't be late to follow the guide!!* |
|
Before you start your search, ask yourself what type of accommodations you seek. Here are the main types of offers on the market:
Renting an apartment is a good option but it is more expensive than the other options. It is well suited for people who prefer to live alone.
Flat (Apartment) Sharing with other students is a popular option in Québec. It is another way for students from remote areas and foreigners to successfully integrate Montréal living. It is an affordable form of housing that reduces costs by sharing many fix costs (electricity, heating, telephone, internet…).
| HOW TO FIND A FLAT SHARE | ||||
| Finding a room within a Flat Share: | Finding an apartment to share with others: | |||
| Join an existing Flat Share with a group of students offering an available bedroom | Rent a bedroom in a Flat Share organized by the Owner and rented “room by room “. | Rent an apartment with one or two extra bedrooms and find your own roommates. | Form a group of roommates and look for an apartment together. | |
| Contract | Sign a lease for your bedroom directly with the Owner or sign a Flat Share Agreement* with the roommate who signed the apartment lease. | You will sign a lease directly with the Owner for your bedroom only. | You will be responsible for the lease and your roommates will sign a Flat Share Agreement* with you. | You will all sign the lease as a group and will be collectively and individually accountable for payment of the Rent (should one roommate fail to pay his share you will need to compensate). |
| Advantages | You will choose who you live with | You will be responsible for your own rent only | You will choose your roommates yourself | You will not assume the risk of the Lease and the Rent payments on your own. |
| Installation costs are greatly reduced: you will only have to furnish your room and will avoid often complicated steps (installing a phone line or opening an account with the Electric company. | ||||
| Disadvantages | You will have to make compromises and adapt to the existing way of living in the Flat Share.
| You will not choose your roommates, the Owner recruits them himself. | You must be able to fully pay for the Rent should a roommate leave or fail to pay his share. | |
| You will usually need to get furniture for all rooms of the apartment. | ||||
*Signing a Flat Share Agreement offers more flexibility (e.g. duration) than a Lease and is perfectly legal.
The Université de Montréal residences are located within a 10-minute walking distance of HEC Montréal. An 8-month lease is required. The price of a single room is approximately $ 350 per month and includes many services. Registration (in French) at: www.residences-etu.ca .
The number of rooms is very limited, you have to register as soon as possible. The registration begins in February. For the Winter Semester, you will be automatically listed on the wainting list.
Exchange students have to contact the International Student Affairs Office before registration.
Taking a room in a family environment removes all of the obligations of a rental lease agreement and it is more economical than an apartment. This option is also a most interesting way for a student to quickly connect with Montrealers and integrate his new environment. If you wish to live with a family, be sure to check the location of the house and avoid the more isolated suburbs of Montréal. You should also check the various house rules regarding meals hours and curfews.
Ther are different types of appartment :
The surface of apartments is rarely indicated. If it is, it's often in square feet. (100 square feets = 9,3 square meters)
Housing in Montreal is relatively less expensive than other big cities in the world:
*Expenses of activation can apply
