{"id":1358,"date":"2026-01-09T12:58:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T17:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/?post_type=publication&#038;p=1358"},"modified":"2026-01-09T13:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T18:42:16","slug":"main-distinctions-between-a-residential-lease-and-a-commercial-lease","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/publications\/main-distinctions-between-a-residential-lease-and-a-commercial-lease\/","title":{"rendered":"Main Distinctions Between a Residential Lease and a Commercial Lease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Before deciding to rent a dwelling or a space for operating a business, it is important to understand the specific legal rules that distinguish residential leases from commercial leases. Knowing these differences is useful before entering an agreement with the owner and landlord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Form and Content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Residential Lease:<\/strong> The landlord must use the mandatory lease form provided by the <em>Administrative Housing Tribunal<\/em>. The content must include several public order provisions decreed by the <em>Civil Code of Quebec<\/em> from which the parties cannot derogate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercial Lease:<\/strong> No standard form is imposed on the parties. The content is often drafted by the landlord&#8217;s lawyer or notary, and the parties are generally free to derogate from provisions of the <em>Civil Code of Quebec<\/em> that are not considered to be, nor deemed to be, of public order.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Subleasing:<\/strong> \u00a0The law generally allows a residential tenant to sublease the dwelling under certain conditions. Conversely, a commercial lease can prohibit the principal tenant from subleasing the commercial immovable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Right to Maintain Occupancy:<\/strong> Residential tenants who fulfill their obligations generally have a right to maintain occupancy through an automatic renewal of their fixed-term lease when it ends. This right does not exist for commercial leases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jurisdiction for Disputes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The competent court or tribunal to resolve disputes between a landlord and tenant will depend upon the type of immovable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Residential Immovables:<\/strong> Disputes are generally heard by the<em> Administrative Housing Tribunal<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercial Immovables:<\/strong> Cases are submitted to either the Court of Quebec or the Superior Court, depending on the nature and value of the claim. Alternatively, a dispute may be referred to an arbitrator if the commercial lease includes an arbitration agreement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the distinctions between residential and commercial leases, do not hesitate to consult your lawyer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1359,"template":"","publication-category":[],"class_list":["post-1358","publication","type-publication","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication\/1358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/publication"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publication-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alepin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication-category?post=1358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}