Student housing in Ahuntsic for the winter semester: near Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne

Student housing in Ahuntsic can be rented in January: in Québec, no lease has to start on July 1. At Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne, classes for the winter 2027 semester start on Thursday, January 21.

In short: sign a 12-month lease that starts on January 1, pay only the first month at signing and choose a heated apartment. 1020 rue de Salaberry is a 22-minute walk from the college.

Coming from out of town for the winter semester? Book a visit to a studio, a 2½ or a 3½ at 1020 rue de Salaberry

See also Tour Laroche, at 6311 boul. Gouin Ouest and all our apartments for rent in Ahuntsic-Cartierville.

Renting in January: a 12-month lease that starts in winter

You arrive from Rimouski or the Saguenay in early January, and every listing talks about July 1. July 1 is a habit, not a rule. The mandatory lease form from the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) lets the landlord and the tenant choose the start date.

A lease from January 1 to December 31 gives you three weeks to settle in before your first class. According to the college's academic calendar, final exams for winter 2027 run from May 17 to 31. You then keep the same apartment for the fall semester, with no apartment hunting in the middle of summer.

In Québec, a lease renews on its own when it ends (article 1941 of the Civil Code). To leave at the end of a 12-month lease, the tenant notifies the landlord three to six months before the end date. For a lease that ends on December 31, the notice goes out between the end of June and September 30.

A pre-university DEC takes two years, and a technical DEC takes three. With a January lease renewed every year, you keep the same address until you graduate. At each renewal, the landlord can propose a change to the rent, and you can refuse in writing.

The landlord must also give you a copy of the lease within 10 days after it is entered into (article 1895). Keep it with your college papers: it proves the end date. For a specific situation, check with the Tribunal administratif du logement.

No deposit allowed in Québec: what you pay at signing

A landlord asks for two months up front "to protect themselves"? Québec law forbids it. Article 1904 of the Civil Code allows a landlord to require only the first month's rent in advance.

Éducaloi repeated it on May 8, 2026: a security deposit, several months of rent or any other amount cannot be required. The word used changes nothing. A "damage deposit" or a "key deposit" is still an amount on top of the rent.

A listing that demands a deposit already tells you how that landlord reads the law. Move on to the next one, or ask the TAL before you pay anything.

Before you sign, read the notice to a new lessee, in section G of the lease. The landlord writes in it the lowest rent paid for this apartment in the previous 12 months. That way, you know where your rent starts from.

We don't ask for any deposit. A rental application goes through a credit check and proof of employment. Other information or references may also be requested.

Student housing in Ahuntsic: how many minutes on foot to the college

On the morning of January 21, you step out of 1020 rue de Salaberry and walk toward boulevard Henri-Bourassa Ouest. The route is 1.6 km to the entrance of Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne: 22 minutes on foot. We measured each route on OpenStreetMap maps, and the building page gives the same times.

Times calculated with OpenStreetMap maps (November 2026), on foot and without stops. The time to the 180 stop comes from the building page.

The college has two entrances, and the one on boulevard Henri-Bourassa Ouest saves you 4 minutes. On stormy days, the 180 De Salaberry bus stops 7 minutes from your door. It takes you to Sauvé metro, on the orange line.

In the fall semester, a bike changes the math. Bois-de-Boulogne station is then 12 minutes away by bike, for 2.1 km measured on the same street network.

From Bois-de-Boulogne station: downtown and the trip back home

On Friday evening, the question changes: how do you get back to your parents' place without a car? Bois-de-Boulogne station is on exo line 12, between Lucien-L'Allier and Saint-Jérôme. Lucien-L'Allier is downtown. To the north, the train serves Vimont, Sainte-Thérèse, Blainville and Mirabel.

Heading south, the train reaches Parc station in 7 minutes. That station connects with Parc metro, on the blue line. The train arrives at Lucien-L'Allier in 36 minutes, according to the schedule published by exo. Check your departure time in exo's trip planner, especially on weekends.

For trips on the island, the STM offers a reduced fare to full-time students. This fare requires an OPUS card with your photo. Apply as soon as you enroll: the regular card does not give the reduced fare.

Heated: a simpler winter budget

In January in Montréal, the heat runs day and night. In an unheated apartment, it goes on your Hydro-Québec bill. The bill then follows the cold. Heated means the heating is included in the rent.

At 1020 rue de Salaberry, heating, hot water and the water tax are included. Your February rent is therefore the same as your September rent. Our heated vs. unheated apartment guide shows how to compare two listings.

Outside, Parc de la Merci runs along the Rivière des Prairies, 3 minutes on foot. The city opens it every day, from 6 a.m. to midnight. A walk between two exams needs no bus and no ticket.

Studio, 2½ or 3½: which size for a semester of study?

Québec counts rooms, not bedrooms. A studio (or 1½) is a single room, with a separate bathroom. A 2½ puts the kitchen in its own room, and a 3½ adds a closed bedroom. Our guide to 3½, 4½ and 5½ sizes covers each case.

For a person living alone who studies at night, the 2½ keeps the bed away from cooking smells. The 3½ adds a door between the desk and the bed.

According to Statistics Canada, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment (a 3½) in the Montréal area was $1,480 in the second quarter of 2026, a market average and not our rent. For two bedrooms (a 4½), Statistics Canada gave an average of $1,820 in the same second quarter of 2026, a market figure, not our rent. With two roommates, that rent is split in two.

The rent for each available apartment is posted, up to date, on the 1020 rue de Salaberry page.

Is a heated studio enough for your semester? See the studios and 2½ units at 1020 rue de Salaberry in Ahuntsic

Your first week in student housing in Ahuntsic

Once you have the keys, a few steps remain before your first class. Report your new address to the Service québécois de changement d'adresse: it notifies several government departments at once. That way, your health insurance card follows your move. Aide financière aux études, the student financial assistance program, has to be notified separately, within 30 days.

The local hospital is Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal, at 5400 boul. Gouin Ouest. Its emergency room is open 24 hours a day. For a non-urgent health question, Info-Santé answers at 811.

More answers are waiting in our resources for tenants.

Three practical tips

1. Walk the route to the college before you sign. Do it in boots, on a weekday morning. Those 22 minutes will be your routine until May.
2. Put your notice date in your calendar. For a lease that ends on December 31, the notice of departure is given between the end of June and September 30.
3. Have the inclusions written into the lease. Heating, hot water and the water tax must appear in it before you sign.

CGK Realties in Ahuntsic-Cartierville

We are a family-run landlord. We own our buildings and you rent directly from us, with no agency. Each building has its own on-site concierge. Cats are welcome, dogs are not.

For a student arriving alone, the intercom at 1020 rue de Salaberry lets you buzz a visitor in from your apartment. At Tour Laroche, the included Wi-Fi makes sharing a 4½ simpler. Visits are done with a member of our team.

Want to see the apartment before January 21? Book a visit at 1020 rue de Salaberry, 22 minutes from the college

Also compare our apartments for rent in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, or our 3½ apartments for rent in Ahuntsic-Cartierville side by side.

Where our buildings are

1020 rue de Salaberry Included: heating, hot water and water tax View building Tour Laroche Included: hot water and Wi-Fi View building All our buildings Montréal, Laval and the South Shore View all What Is a 3½, 4½ or 5½ Apartment in Quebec? A 4 1/2 is a 2 bedroom Read the guide

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