Getting Started: Preparation Is Key
Before you start looking for an apartment in Montreal, take the time to familiarize yourself with some of the English and French terms and concepts used, many of which are unique to Quebec.
Understanding apartment sizes
Most rental housing is described using a numbering system that represents the total number of rooms, with the bathroom counting as a half room. In other words, you’re bound to see ads for a 1½ or a 3½ to rent (à louer), for example, instead of a bachelor or a one-bedroom. If the area of the apartment is mentioned at all (it usually isn’t), it tends to be expressed in square feet (pieds carrés, pi2 or sometimes pc).
| Bathroom | Living Room | Bedrooms or Other Rooms (Dining Room, etc.) | Kitchen | |
| 1 ½ (bachelor, studio, efficiency) | ½ | 1 (no division between the living room, bedroom and kitchenette) | ||
| 2 ½ (small one-bedroom, alcove studio) | ½ | 1 (no division between the living room and kitchenette) | 1 | - |
| 3 ½ (one-bedroom) | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 ½ (two-bedroom) | ½ | 1 | 2* | 1 |
| 5 ½ (two- or three-bedroom) | ½ | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 ½ (three- or four-bedroom) | ½ | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Tenant tip
The room count doesn’t necessarily refer to the number of separate bedrooms. For example, an apartment advertised as a 4½ may have an enclosed kitchen (one room), an open double living room (which counts as two rooms) and a separate bedroom (one room), plus a bathroom (half room). If you will be sharing the apartment, it’s best to ask how many separate rooms (pièces fermées) there are beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings.
Furnished, semi-furnished and unfurnished rentals
It’s important to note that many apartments in Montreal are rented without appliances. Whether or not they’re included will usually be indicated in the ad.
- Furnished (meublé): Includes appliances and enough furniture to live comfortably*
- Semi-furnished (équipé or semi-meublé): Includes basic appliances (stove and refrigerator)*
- Unfurnished (non meublé): No appliances or furniture provided*
*What is included will vary from one place and one landlord to the next. Be sure to ask for the exact details.
Tenant tip
If you’re renting a room in a shared dwelling, “furnished” may refer to the common areas only. Be sure to ask if bedroom furniture is included. You’ll also want to check whether you have a washer and dryer in the unit or on the premises, or whether there’s a laundromat nearby.
A handy bilingual glossary
- Logement or appartement: Apartment
- Chambre: Bedroom
- Pièce: Room (a room with a specific purpose is often a salle, e.g., bathroom/salle de bain)
- À louer or location: For rent (to let)
- À partager or colocation: Room in a shared accommodation for rent
- Colocataire: Co-tenant or roommate
- Meublé: Furnished
- Semi-meublé: Semi-furnished
- Non meublé: Unfurnished
- Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL): Quebec rental board (sometimes referred to as the Régie de logment, its former name)
- Condominium or condo: An individually owned dwelling within a building or complex, which can be partially or entirely rented out by the owner
- Condo locatif: An apartment that is rented out within a condo building or complex (rental condo)
- “Plex” (duplex, triplex, etc.): A multi-storey building subdivided (often horizontally in Montreal) into separate dwellings; in some cases, the owner of the building lives in one of the dwellings
- Sous-location (sublet) or cession de bail (lease transfer or assignment of lease): When a tenant sublets a unit for which they have signed a lease or transfers their lease to someone else
Budget
We have prepared a sample student budget to help you manage your expenses, including your housing expenses.
HEC Montréal Campus
There are three main buildings at HEC Montréal:
- Côte-Sainte-Catherine (CSC) and Decelles (DEC) buildings, both of which are located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood, on the north side of Mount Royal
- Hélène Desmarais Building (EHD), in downtown Montreal (Ville-Marie borough).
| Program | Building |
|---|---|
| Preparatory year (année préparatoire) | CSC and/or DEC |
| BBA (B.A.A.) | CSC and/or DEC |
| Certificates and short undergraduate programs (microprogrammes de 1er cycle) | CSC and/or DEC and/or EHD, depending on specialization (be sure check which one(s) when registering for courses!) |
| Specialized graduate diplomas (DESS) and short graduate programs (microprogrammes de 2e cycle) | CSC and/or DEC and/or EHD, depending on specialization (be sure check which one(s) when registering for courses!) |
| Professional Master’s (maîtrise professionnelle) and MSc programs | CSC and/or DEC and/or EHD, depending on specialization (be sure check which one(s) when registering for courses!) |
| MBA and EMBA programs | EHD |
Côte-Sainte-Catherine and Decelles building (10 min walk)
Hélène-Desmarais Building
Any questions?
Feel free to reach out to us at logement@hec.ca