Rental assistance, Quebec 2025: what landlords need to know to support their tenants

At a time when many households are under considerable financial pressure, it's becoming essential for landlords to be well-informed about existing assistance programs. By knowing about these resources, you can support your tenants in concrete ways and help avoid non-payment situations. Here's what you need to know.

The Shelter Allowance Program

We invite our members and rental property owners to take note of the Shelter Allowance Program, which is still in effect for the period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. This program offers financial assistance of up to $170 per month, to ease the burden of low-income households who spend a significant portion of their income on housing.

An indicative table is available on the Revenu Québec website. It enables tenants to check the amount to which they may be entitled, based on their family situation and maximum income eligibility. Please note: assistance is paid per dwelling only, regardless of the number of occupants. Family income must therefore be taken into account when assessing eligibility.

If you own the dwelling you occupy, you may also be eligible for the Shelter Allowance Program.

 

Criteria for eligibility

To benefit from the program, applicants must :

• Be domiciled in Quebec;
• Not be tax-exempt;
• Be a tenant, roomer or owner-occupier (or their spouse);
• Have at least one dependent child OR be aged 50 or over (or their spouse);
• Have a family income below a certain threshold (e.g.: $24,440 for a single person aged 50 or over);
• Spend 30% or more of your income on housing;
• Have liquid assets of $50,000 or less (tax-free savings accounts for first-time home buyers are not taken into account);
• Have a family income for the previous year below the maximum income qualifying for the allowance. See the table on the Revenu Québec website here.

The amount granted varies according to family income, family situation and the percentage of income spent on housing. The frequency of payments depends on the amount granted.

 

How to apply

Those eligible for the Shelter Allowance Program can apply until September 30, 2025. Tenants already benefiting from the program must reapply each year.

There are three options for completing an application:

Online

The request can be made easily by accessing My Account for Individuals on the Revenu Québec website, by clicking here.

By mail

The forms to be completed are available online on the Revenu Québec website. You can download them here.

Then send the form(s), together with the requested documents, to the following address:

Revenu Québec
C. P. 6800, succursale Place-Desjardins
Montréal (Québec) H5B 1J5

By phone

You can also request to receive the forms by mail by contacting Revenu Québec at the following numbers:

Montreal area: 514 940-1481

Quebec City area: 418 266-1016

Elsewhere in Canada and the U.S.: 1 855 291-6467 (toll-free)

 

Why share this information?

As a landlord, you are often the first point of contact for your tenants. By supporting a struggling tenant, you can help stabilize your rental income while strengthening the relationship of trust with your tenants. You can therefore play an active role in directing them to the appropriate resources.

Helping a tenant to stay in their home also promotes more stable and harmonious property management. By sharing information on available financial assistance programs, landlords can play a concrete role in preventing non-payment situations, while protecting the value of their investment.

We therefore strongly recommend that you share this information with your rental properties. Whether by e-mail, as an attachment to the renewal notice or by posting in common areas, these simple gestures can have a significant impact on the residential security of your tenants and on the sound management of your rents.

A brochure is available here to hand out or display.