What's a typical lease term in Montreal?

10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.

How is rent quoted in Montreal?

In CAD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($28/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Net leases (tenant pays opex separately).

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 18.6%; trend flat.
Net leases (tenant pays opex separately).

Montreal office lease norms

Net leases (tenant pays opex separately).

TL;DR

Typical lease length: 10 years.
Typical rent-free: 12 months.
Vacancy: 18.6%; trend flat.
Net leases (tenant pays opex separately).

Structure

Net leases (tenant pays opex separately). 10-year terms standard. Free rent of 10-14 months and TI of C$60-$100/sqft typical on a 10-year Class A deal.

Negotiating levers

Free rent and TI remain the most negotiable line items; landlords prefer concessions to face-rent cuts because they preserve headline rent and implied valuation. Always model effective rent (face minus PV of concessions).

Key facts

city	Montreal
country	Canada
region	Americas
classARentLocal	38 CAD/sqft/yr
classARentUsd	$28/sqft/yr
vacancy	18.6%
typicalLeaseYears	10
typicalRentFreeMonths	12
submarkets	5
primeYieldPct	6.6%

Frequently asked questions

What's a typical lease term in Montreal?: 10 years for institutional Class A. Shorter terms are achievable on smaller floor plates with stronger covenants.
How is rent quoted in Montreal?: In CAD/sqft/year. We also publish a USD-normalised view ($28/sqft/yr) for cross-market comparison.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Miriam Hollander — Lead market analyst. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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