In Quebec, it’s a well-established tradition: on July 1st, we move! But why does this phenomenon only occur in La Belle Province and not in the rest of Canada or our neighbors to the South? We’ll explain it to you.
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One in five Quebec households packs up their belongings to move them on July 1. And the reason is very simple: it’s because Robert Bourassa’s government made it a law.
Until 1974, the official date for leases was set at May 1. It is impossible to know when this rule dates back to, but the first Civil Code of Canada (1866) mentions this date as the end of commercial leases, notes the Réseau de diffusion des archives du Québec (RDAQ), in an article devoted to national moving day.
Avoiding headaches for parents
However, the fact that the leases were due to expire on May 1st caused headaches for parents who had to move and change their children’s schools a few weeks before the end of school.
A bill relating to the rental of things was thus presented and a rental tribunal was created to change this practice.
Entering into force in 1974, the law provided for a transitional period for leases which ended on May 1, 1975, granting them an extension until June 30 of the same year.
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As this made things easier for everyone, the tradition of the June 30 deadline and the July 1 move was established. The end of the lease is still left to the discretion of the landlord and tenant, set by mutual agreement.
The Régie du logement, now called the Administrative Housing Tribunal, was born at the same time.
“It is curious that the age-old tradition of moving, even after being postponed by two months, has remained so respected, especially since, in other provinces, there is no due date that governs the practice of moving. Most of the time, the rent is due at the end of the month and, sometimes, there is no lease as such,” notes the RDAQ.
