Rent Montreal (Downtown) Apartments

Montreal

Montreal: Joie de vivre in a cosmopolitan village

Montreal continues to fascinate students, immigrants and professionals, with its European flavour, lively nightlife, beautiful architecture and distinctive joie de vivre.

Montreal is actually an island, with world-renowned McGill University campus at its core. St. Laurent Street has traditionally has divided the city between the west-side Anglophones (English speakers) and east-end Francophones (French speakers).

Nowadays, however, native French-speakers and English-speakers are renting apartments in all parts of Montreal. For a long time, Montreal has been a city of immigration: walking its streets, you’ll hear a myriad of languages.

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Featured apartments in Montreal (Downtown)

Where to rent: thriving Montreal neighbourhoods

If you’ve come to Montreal to rent an apartment for school or work, you’ll find it easy to get around to any of these neighbourhoods. But to truly appreciate this city, you have to get to know the village life of its colourful neighbourhoods and their unique je ne sais quoi.

Montreal is mostly laid out as a grid. Taking McGill University as the epicentre of the city, the downtown core (which includes the Old Port) extends to some of the more popular rental neighbourhoods of:

Mile End and Park Extension to the north
the Plateau to the north-east
the Village and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve to the east
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (NDG) and Côte-des-Neiges to the west
Griffintown, St. Henri and Verdun to the south-west

These neighbourhoods, along with ones with monikers such as Little Italy, Little India, Little Portugal, and Chinatown, all have a quite distinct character. Each has its own village-like atmosphere and a main street abounding with amenities: local shops, businesses and restaurants for all tastes, which are the pride of Montreal.

Beyond the city are areas more popular with families who enjoy the lower costs of renting houses:

Laval to the north
The South Shore
West Island (the western half of the island)

Displaying 1 to 10 of 58 Montreal (Downtown) apartment rental listings

Renting in Montreal: A Basic Overview

Getting around in Montreal

Renting in Montreal is made easy thanks to an integrated transit system of city buses and subway lines (the “metro”) and suburban trains.

The Green and the Blue metro lines runs east and west, the Orange line runs to the north across the city in a U-shape, and the yellow line takes you to South Shore and the recreational island of St. Hélène.

Many people walk everywhere in Montreal, regardless of the season or time of day; despite its size, it’s known for being quite safe. It’s not uncommon to see dozens of BIXI bicycles criss-crossing the streets at any one time. You’d have to be brave to try this out in winter, though.

You won’t have to go far for the necessities of life, as each area generally tends to have several depanneurs (“deps”, or convenience stores), which you’ll only truly appreciate in the dead of winter! There’s also the underground city.

Cost of renting accommodation in Montreal

Montreal has always been known to have a very affordable cost of living compared to other cities of its size.

Rental accommodation costs have risen in the last decade or so but are still quite affordable.

Downtown, the Old Port, Westmount, and Outremont will set you back a pretty penny if you choose to rent an apartment in those areas. So will the McGill Ghetto area, despite its name, which over the years has become quite pricey.

The Plateau, once known for cheap housing for students and artists, has become more expensive of late as more professionals have taken over the hipster area.

Other neighbourhoods such as the southwest (Griffintown, St. Henri, Verdun) and NDG-west are close enough to downtown but are far more affordable. On the eastern end, try the Village, Hochelaga Maisonneuve, or Park Extension to the north.

Many students and young professionals take advantage of the many 3+ bedroom apartments available through the city and share, saving their money instead for the many outings and adventures Montreal offers. When you get your rental insurance, make sure you let your insurance know that you have a roommate.

As you visit, keep a checklist of things to watch for with you. Apartments are usually unfurnished, but heat and hot water are sometimes included in your lease (make sure you read over it carefully!).

The landlord will probably run a credit check on you, but it’s illegal to ask for a deposit in Montreal (or anywhere in Quebec), so steer clear of any who do! If you’re renting in a high-rise, however, you may be asked for key money; essentially, a deposit on the keys that you get back when you move out.

Winters are cold, so be sure to winterize your rented Montreal apartment to keep rental costs down. Moving Day when you rent your apartment in Montreal is July 1 (Canada Day everywhere else!). It can be mayhem with so many people moving at once, so prepare early and negotiate an earlier or later moving day if you can.

Legal matters of renting in Montreal

Renting an apartment in Montreal is made easier by the strong tenants’ rights history and regulations. That’s good news if you run into issues with your landlord.

Landlords may raise the rent every year, but only under certain conditions. Every year around January, the Régie du logement publishes rent increase guidelines for tenants and landlords, who can check out the calculation online.

Your landlord will notify you if there is any rent increase, and you have three months to decide if you want to stay or look for another apartment to rent in Montreal. Your best bet is to negotiate with the landlord or come to an agreement before you contact the Régie.

If you plan on moving away before the end of your lease, you can either assign your lease or sublet it and give notice.

The Societé d’habitation du Québec have a number of programs and publications about housing in Quebec, but not all of the website has been translated to English.

Bienvenue à Montréal!!