Housing
Various housing options are available for graduate students. Most choose to live off-campus.
McGill's Student Housing and Hospitality Services provides information related to on-campus housing and off-campus housing.
- On-campus housing: accommodations for graduate students are available in a limited quantity. Typically, those interested in on-campus housing indicate so in their application. If you did not but are interested, reach out to the Graduate Housing Office.
- Off-campus housing: the most popular choice among graduate students. Rental terminology and regulations in Qu茅bec are unique and may differ from what you are used to. Most rental listing are available online on websites like , or Places4Students.鈥疢cGill's Housing and Hospitality Services also assembled answers to some frequently asked rental questions.
Moving Day
Typically, rental leases last one year. The most common start date is July 1st which is colloquially referred to as Moving Day. Rest assured as there are plenty of accommodations with leases that start throughout the year.
Usually, landlords know about 2-3 months ahead of time which units they will have available. A good time to look for accommodations is 2-3 months before you plan to move.
Situations to be aware of
It is important to exercise good judgment when looking for accommodations. Situations to be aware of include:
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Asking for a security deposit. In Qu茅bec, you are not required to pay any amount in advance other than the first month's rent.
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Asking you to provide a passport, credit card, bank account, or social insurance number. It is illegal for a landlord to require these forms of personal information.
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Asking you to sign a lease before seeing the accommodation. While it is not illegal, if you sign a lease before seeing the apartment yourself, you risk being legally bound to a property that may be unsuitable.