Gatineau's Rental Market in 2026
In October 2025, CMHC measured a 3.8% vacancy rate for rental apartments in the Gatineau area. A year earlier, it was 1.9%. For an investor, that change shows up right away in the numbers of a plex.
What do the CMHC figures show?
The vacancy rate doubled in one year. According to CMHC, new rental supply explains a good part of this increase, which was most pronounced in the Hull and Gatineau survey zones.
New units sit empty more often than the rest. Their vacancy rate was 10%, almost three times the average for the area.
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment was $1,460 a month, up 4.7% over one year (CMHC, October 2025).
What does a plex cost right now?
In Q3 2026, the median price of a 2 to 5 unit plex was $617,500 in the Gatineau metropolitan area, 2% higher than a year earlier. It's the only property type whose price went up. On the other hand, 88 plexes sold, 14% fewer, and it took 38 days on average (QPAREB, Centris data).
How does it change the analysis of a building?
I start from the rents written in the leases. Asking rents posted online for similar units are only a reference point. A unit that stays empty for two months is two months of income gone, and the budget has to show it.
For a new building, I compare it with other new buildings in the same sector. The regional average hides the gap between new and existing units.
What the Tribunal administratif du logement regulates
In Quebec, a residential lease is signed on the mandatory form of the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). A tenant can refuse a rent increase. The landlord then has one month to ask the TAL to set the rent, or the lease renews at the same rent. To set the rent, the TAL follows the method set out by regulation.
There's an exception for new buildings. In a building less than 5 years old, if section F of the lease is filled in, the tenant can't ask the TAL to set the rent.
Taking back a unit to live in it, or to house a relative, is possible, but it follows specific rules and notice periods. Before you buy, read the leases one by one.
My approach
For a plex, I look at the leases in place, expenses backed by invoices, and a realistic timeline to re-rent a vacant unit.
Sources: CMHC, Rental Market Report, October 2025 (Gatineau area). QPAREB, residential barometer, Q3 2026 (Centris data).
Read also: Investing in a Plex in Gatineau · Plexes in Gatineau, Q3 2026