How to Track Tenant Response to a Quebec Rent Increase Notice

Why Tracking Matters

The one-month response window after a tenant receives your rent increase notice is the most dangerous deadline in the Quebec renewal cycle — not because it's hard to calculate, but because it triggers a chain of consequences that depend on exactly what happens and when.

If the tenant accepts (or stays silent for the full month), the lease renews at the new rent. If the tenant refuses while staying, you have exactly one more month to file at the TAL or lose the increase. The problem is knowing precisely when each clock started. And that requires a log.

Recording the Date of Receipt

Everything in Quebec's system hinges on when the tenant received the notice — not when you sent it. This is why your choice of service method matters for tracking:

Registered mail gives you a Canada Post tracking number and, ideally, a delivery signature. Log the tracking number and the confirmed delivery date. If the tenant doesn't sign and the letter is returned unclaimed, you do not have proof of receipt. Dispatch alone is not enough.

Bailiff (huissier de justice) produces a procès-verbal — a formal record of service with the date, time, and manner of delivery. This is the most robust proof. File the procès-verbal with your records the day you receive it.

Personal delivery works if the tenant signs and dates the acknowledgment block on your copy of the notice (the TAL-806A-E form includes this section). Without the tenant's signature, you have no proof beyond your word.

Email is valid only if the lease authorizes electronic service, or if the tenant confirms receipt in a written reply. A sent email without acknowledgment is not proof. If you use email, save the tenant's reply confirming they received it, noting the date.

Whatever method you use, write down the confirmed date of receipt immediately. This is the start date for the one-month response period.

The One-Month Response Window

From the date of receipt, the tenant has one month to respond in writing. Count forward exactly one month (not 30 days — one calendar month). If the notice was received on January 15, the response deadline is February 15.

Three outcomes to log:

1. Written acceptance. The tenant signs or sends a written confirmation agreeing to the increase. File it and update your lease records. No further action needed.

2. Written refusal (staying). The tenant says no to the increase but elects to renew the lease. This is the trigger for your one-month TAL filing deadline. Log the exact date you received the refusal — your filing clock starts on that date.

3. Silence. If the one-month window passes with no written response, the tenant is legally deemed to have accepted. Note the deadline date and the fact that no response was received. The lease renews at the proposed rent.

What to Do After a Refusal

The moment you receive a written refusal, mark your calendar: you have one month to either accept the old rent, negotiate a compromise (put any agreement in writing), or file an application for rent fixing at the TAL.

If you plan to file, begin assembling your evidence dossier immediately — tax bills, insurance statements, capital work invoices, proof of payment. The filing itself can be done online through the TAL's portal, but organizing the supporting documents takes time. Don't wait until the last week.

Filing fees in 2026: $59 (monthly rent ≤ $350), $70 (over $350 up to $600), or $92 (over $600).

A Simple Tracking Log

For each unit, record five dates:

1. Date you served the notice
2. Date the tenant received the notice (confirmed)
3. Response deadline (receipt date + 1 month)
4. Date and type of tenant response (acceptance, refusal, or silence)
5. If refused: TAL filing deadline (refusal date + 1 month)

Our Quebec rent increase guide includes a response tracking template with deadline calculations and the follow-up actions for each scenario.

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