Created in 1980, The Tribunal Administratif du Logement (TAL), formerly known as Régie du logement, is a provincial body that supervises the residential rental market and applies Quebec’s housing laws and regulations (1). Its responsibilities include;

1. Making decisions on requests submitted to it
2. Informing people of their rights and obligations under residential leases 
3. And promoting good relations between landlords and tenants.

No, residences managed by educational institutions do not benefit from the same rights and obligations as other dwellings in Quebec. For example, “a student who lives in a residence managed by an educational institution cannot sublet the dwelling or assign the lease” (2). The list of differences can be found on the TAL’s website here.

Yes, whether you are a Canadian citizen from any province, or you are legally residing in Canada for work or study purposes, you benefit from the same housing rights and are subject to the same obligations in Quebec

“While a landlord may ask you for work references or a credit check, they are not allowed to ask any personal questions in regards to how long you have been in Canada, your ethnic background or religion, whether you will have any relatives visiting, and whether you plan on having children. Additionally, a landlord cannot flat out refuse to rent to you because you are new to Canada and therefore lack credit and/or references.” (3)

Yes, the landlord(or lessor) is entitled to doing so. However, they may not ask for more than one month’s rent, or charge any other additional amounts like security or key deposits. (4)