The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL, formerly Régie du logement or rental board) is a provincial body that supervises the residential rental market and applies Quebec’s housing laws and regulations. Its responsibilities include making decisions on requests submitted to it, informing people of their rights and obligations under residential leases and promoting good relations between landlords and tenants.
When can the TAL intervene?
The TAL is the only body that can hear these kinds of cases:
- cases about residential leases when the amount or value claimed is less than $85,000
- cases about setting the rent, renewing a lease, repossession of a dwelling, a subdivision, a change of use, a substantial enlargement of the dwelling, or about a lease for low rent housing. (The TAL has jurisdiction in all these cases no matter how much money is involved.)
The TAL can also hear cases about these issues:
- demolition of a dwelling in a municipality where no by-law covers the situation
- sale or transfer of a building in a housing complex
- conversion of an apartment building into condos
- depositing rent with the TAL instead of paying it directly to the landlord.
What does the TAL do?
The TAL is responsible for doing the following:
- informing landlords and tenants of their rights and obligations and explaining anything in a lease or in the Act respecting the Administrative Housing Tribunal. It does this through its telephone services, one-on-one consultations, free publications and its website.
- providing standard forms for signing a lease, for ending a lease and for subletting
- doing studies and compiling statistics on the housing situation in Quebec
- hearing cases involving tenants and landlords and making written decisions in these cases
- publishing a collection of decisions made by the TAL
- helping landlords and tenants reach agreements
How much does it cost to file a request with the TAL?
The cost depends on the type of request and sometimes on the amount of your rent. To find out the exact amount, check the TAL’s schedule of fees.
You don’t have to pay the fees if you are receiving social assistance (welfare) and you provide proof of this.
How do hearings at the TAL work?
Once you’ve filed a request with the TAL, you will be offered conciliation services to help you and your landlord reach an agreement. You can accept or refuse this offer.
If you participate in conciliation but you and your landlord cannot reach an agreement, the process before the TAL will resume. But if the conciliation succeeds and a settlement is reached, the file will be closed.
If you cannot agree, there will be a hearing. At the hearing, you can act for yourself or have someone else represent you (certain conditions apply). Remember that the TAL uses its own set of procedures.
The person who runs the hearing and makes a decision in TAL cases is called an administrative judge (formerly know as commissioner). Administrative judges are officials appointed by the government to hear and decide case that are the responsibility of the TAL.
Once the hearing is over, the administrative judge will make a decision within three months and send it to you by mail.
To learn more about who can act for you in a case before the TAL, see our article Hearings at the Tribunal administratif du logement.
Are there any TAL offices outside of Montreal and Quebec City?
Yes. There are TAL offices across Quebec. You don’t have to travel to Montreal or Quebec City to file a request.
Visit the TAL website to find an office near you.