Plex · Method · October 12, 2026
A good rental property is recognized by its documents before its photos: here are the twelve points the team checks, in order.
Choosing a good rental property in Montreal takes twelve checks: the actual leases (rent, date, term), the history at the Tribunal administratif du logement, income proven by bank records, actual expenses (taxes, insurance, energy), the price against comparable sales (median plex $930,000 in 2026, 97% of asking), the return calculated rather than promised, the condition of the roof, brick, foundations, plumbing and electrical, zoning and permits for past work, the certificate of location, the unit you will occupy, vacancy and the neighbourhood (median rents from $1,500 to $2,700 by borough), and financing suited to the number of units.
Ask for every lease, not the income summary. For each unit: the rent, the move-in date, the term, included services (heating, electricity, parking), special clauses. A building "rented at $1,750 per unit" where two leases date from 2015 at $1,150 is worth less than its listing, because in Quebec those rents only rise at renewal, at the rates published by the Tribunal administratif du logement.
TAL files are public: rent-fixing applications, non-payment, repossession. A building with open files gets negotiated, or avoided. Also ask the seller for the renewal notice sent and the replies received: a refused increase in progress changes the year's income.
Rents are proven by bank statements or receipts for the last twelve months, not by the seller's declaration. A gap between the leases and the deposits is a signal: vacant unit, tenant in arrears, rent partly paid under the table.
Municipal and school tax bills, the insurance policy, energy bills if the owner pays the heating, maintenance contracts (snow removal, extermination). Our rule of thumb of 2% of the price per year gets checked here; a building heated electrically by the owner can exceed 3%.
In Montreal, the median plex sold for $930,000 from January to September 2026, the duplex $840,000, the triplex $932,000, the quadruplex $1,085,000, and at 97% of asking. But the island's median says nothing about a street: what counts are the plexes sold in the same sector, of the same size and condition, in the last six months, which the broker pulls from the Centris system. Our file income property in Montreal in 2026 gives the benchmarks by type and by borough.
Cap rate (net income divided by price), gross rent multiplier, cash flow after financing: three figures you calculate yourself with the leases from point 1 and the expenses from point 4. At the 2026 median price, the duplex comes out at a 3.0% cap rate, the triplex at 4.8%, the quadruplex at 5.7%; the detailed calculation is in is an income property profitable in Montreal. A listing that announces a return without showing the leases is worth nothing.
Montreal plexes are often 70 to 110 years old. Three items make the big bills: the roof (membrane, drains, parapets), the masonry (bulging bricks, joints, lintels) and the foundations (cracks, infiltration, French drain). Have it inspected before offering or offer conditional on inspection, and ask for the invoices of past work with their warranties.
Lead water service line (still present in several boroughs, with the City's replacement program), cast-iron stacks, fuse panel or 60-amp service, old wiring: each weighs on insurability and on the premium. One electricity meter per unit is an advantage; central heating paid by the owner, an expense to budget.
The number of units declared to the City must match what you are buying: a basement converted into a fourth unit without a permit is a triplex for the City, and a risk for you (compliance, insurance, resale). Check the assessment roll and, if needed, the borough's permit register.
Up to date, it shows encroachments, servitudes, compliance with setbacks and the conformity of additions. An old or missing certificate delays the transaction and can hide a problem; the seller must provide one that reflects the current state.
If you live in the building, the unit vacant at closing changes everything: repossessing an occupied unit to live in it follows strict rules and deadlines, and compensation may be due. If you do not live there, the neighbourhood's vacancy rate and the median rent on signed leases (from $1,500 in Montréal-Nord to $2,700 in Outremont) say how long a unit takes to re-rent.
Owner-occupant of a duplex: insured loan possible with 5% down; occupied triplex or quadruplex: 10%; non-occupant: 20% and only part of the rents recognized by the lender. Five units and more: commercial loan on the building's net income. Get the loan qualified on the actual leases before visiting, not after.
The actual leases: rent, date, term, included services, because in Quebec they set the income for years. Everything else (price, return, financing) is calculated from them.
Yes, and one used to old buildings: roof, masonry, foundations, plumbing and electrical are the five items that make the big bills, and they can be seen before the offer.
By the closed sales of comparable plexes in the sector, not by the island's median or the listing; in 2026, the Montreal plex sells at 97% of asking, so a documented negotiation is the norm.
Source of the figures: Centris (Matrix), plex sales in Montreal from January to September 2026 and leases signed over twelve months, compiled by the Loaa & Manseur team; mortgage insurers' financing rules, to be confirmed with your mortgage broker; rental rules: Tribunal administratif du logement. This checklist replaces neither the inspection nor the advice of a legal professional.
The Loaa & Manseur team, led by Lotfi Manseur and Loaa Al Daow, is the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 of large residential teams according to the official RE/MAX ranking, computed on actual transactions. Its Google profile counts more than 220 reviews with a 4.9 rating. Its offices are at 55 avenue de l'Équinoxe in Brossard, one bridge from the island, and every broker's licence can be checked in the OACIQ public register. Three things to verify yourself before calling us, and to demand of any other broker.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.