Major work · Required notice
Renovating an occupied plex is allowed, but the notice you owe depends on one question: does the tenant have to move out, and for how long.
Two notice periods, one question
The Tribunal sets it out in two parts. Before work begins, the landlord must give the tenant 10 days' notice, provided no evacuation is required or it does not exceed one week. If evacuation is required and will last more than one week, notice must be given at least 3 months before.
The tenant's reply
Whenever temporary evacuation is requested, the tenant has 10 days from receiving the notice to accept or object. No reply means deemed refusal. The landlord may then apply to the Tribunal within 10 days of that refusal.
Rent during and after the work
A point often misunderstood: the landlord may not increase the rent during the lease on the grounds of major work carried out. That can be done at the end of the lease, with the required notices.
Why it matters before you buy
A building bought to be renovated unit by unit runs on a notice calendar, not just a contractor's calendar. Three months per unit requiring long evacuation is something you plan at the offer stage.
Where this actually bites
These rules are not administrative theory. They set a building's price and a buyer's calendar. A plex where repossession is still possible within the deadline is not worth the same as one where the window has closed. A building held by very long-term tenants carries a far heavier potential eviction indemnity than one with quick turnover. A renovation planned without evacuation notices loses months before the first swing of a hammer.
That is why reading the leases comes first in our work on a rental building, before the showing and before going to market. The Tribunal's figures are public and verifiable; what varies from one file to the next is the real situation of each unit. An honest valuation starts there.
Three checks before signing anything
- The end date of every lease, which drives all the notice periods and has nothing to do with your closing date.
- How long each tenant has been in place, which directly changes any eviction indemnity.
- Whether advertised rents match the actual leases, the most common price adjustment in a rental building transaction.
Related
Frequently asked
What notice applies without evacuation?
Ten days before work begins, and the same applies if evacuation does not exceed one week.
And if evacuation exceeds one week?
At least three months' notice before the evacuation.
Can I raise the rent after major work?
Not during the lease. The Tribunal notes it can be done at the end of the lease with the required notices.
Rules cited from the Tribunal administratif du logement (tal.gouv.qc.ca), consulted 10 September 2026. This page informs; it is not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Tribunal.
Published by the Loaa & Manseur team, number one team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025. Buying and selling rental buildings across Greater Montreal. Tell us about your project.