Rimouski Rental Market 2026: Quebec's Biggest Construction Response to a Severe Rental Crisis

Rimouski is the metropolis of the Lower St. Lawrence — a city of 50,000 that serves as regional capital, home to UQAR (Université du Québec à Rimouski), site of a major regional hospital, and hub of public services for an enormous territory. In 2025, the city lived a striking contradiction: rents jumped 14% in a single year, the steepest increase ever documented here, while more than 600 new housing units were announced or broke ground in under twelve months. Rentack analyzes both sides.

Five Years of Accelerating Rents

Verified CMHC data reported by Radio-Canada BSL, FLO 96.5, and the Quebec government:

2022: $698/month average rent — 0.4% vacancy 2023: $749/month — 0.6% vacancy October 2024: ~$760/month — 1.0% vacancy 2025: ~$860/month — 0.8% vacancy*

*CMHC withdrew the 2025 Rimouski vacancy figure due to statistical reliability concerns. The 0.8% figure is based on partial data reported by Radio-Canada BSL in December 2025.

The 14% rent increase in 2025 — roughly $110 more per month — is the single largest annual increase ever recorded in the region, per FLO 96.5 Rimouski and FRAPRU. To put it in context: Quebec's general inflation rate for the same period was approximately 3.2%. Rents rose at more than four times the rate of inflation.

What's Driving the 14% Jump?

The 2025 spike didn't come out of nowhere — it's the product of years of structural undersupply against persistent, layered demand.

University pressure. UQAR enrolls more than 7,000 students between in-person and distance programs. Each fall, hundreds look for housing in Rimouski — often too late, often unsuccessfully. The Cégep de Rimouski adds thousands more. This seasonal surge is amplified by a chronic shortage of on-campus residences.

Healthcare employment. The Centre hospitalier régional de Rimouski (CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent) is one of the region's largest employers. Physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals settling here create constant, stable demand for quality housing.

Regional administration. Rimouski houses the regional offices of roughly a dozen provincial ministries and agencies. This civil service population represents consistent, solvent rental demand.

A historically low construction rate. Before 2024, Rimouski was building 50 to 70 rental units per year — structurally insufficient to absorb cumulative demand, according to Mayor Guy Caron. The result was chronically low vacancy and relentless upward pressure on rents.

The Big Response: 600+ Units in 12 Months

What separates 2024–2025 Rimouski from previous years is the scale of the institutional response. In under a year, the city became the site of a cascade of housing announcements that Mayor Caron himself described as "several announcements in a few months for the creation of more than 300 social and affordable units." The running total clears 600 units.

Serviloge — Maison du Saint-Rosaire: 91 units (delivery Jan. 2026)

The June 2024 announcement was the largest single project to date. The federal and provincial governments, the City of Rimouski, and non-profit Serviloge confirmed the construction of 91 social and affordable units inside the former mother house of the Sisters of Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire — a heritage building Serviloge acquired in spring 2024.

Total investment: $21.4 million, including nearly $12.6 million from the federal government (via the 3rd Canada–Quebec Rapid Housing Initiative Agreement) and $8.4 million from Quebec (via PHAQ). The City of Rimouski contributed $3.3 million through a 35-year tax credit. Delivery was set for January 2026.

UTILE — 155 modular student units (delivery July 2025)

October 2024 announcement: student housing non-profit UTILE (Unité de travail pour l'implantation de logement étudiant) secured approval to build 155 student-specific units on Rue Alcide-C.-Horth, steps from UQAR.

The building — 126 studios and 29 two-bedroom units housing 180 students — was built using modular construction, compressing the typical timeline dramatically. First tenants moved in July 1, 2025 — less than nine months after the announcement. UTILE's newly granted "qualified developer" status from the SHQ allowed it to bypass the usual administrative qualification steps, a key enabler of this speed.

This project directly addresses the segment that drives the most rental pressure: students who arrive each fall with nowhere to go.

Mission Unitaînés — 100 senior units (delivery spring 2026)

May 2024 announcement: the federal and provincial governments, Mission Unitaînés, and the City of Rimouski confirmed a 6-storey, 100-unit affordable building for independent seniors. Government investment: $23.5 million. The City donated the land and waived connection and tax fees. Philanthropic donor Luc Maurice (Mission Unitaînés board chair) completed the financing. Construction was to finish spring 2026, with projected rents of $595/month for a studio and $900/month for a two-bedroom — substantially below current market rates.

La Logeri — 50 senior units (delivery 2025)

Non-profit La Logeri announced in early 2024 the construction of approximately 50 units for low-income seniors 65+ on Rue Alcide-C.-Horth — the same street as the UTILE project, giving that corridor the feel of a dedicated residential development zone.

Société de développement Angus — 324 units (announced August 2024)

The largest single announcement: in August 2024, the federal and provincial governments unveiled a "fast-track" mechanism for affordable housing construction, through which the Société de développement Angus committed to 324 units in Rimouski under its new "qualified developer" status. This is the biggest individual volume pledge the city has seen.

UQAR Residences — 25 apartments for 100 students (delivery spring 2025)

The university itself announced the construction of 25 four-bedroom apartments (100 student spaces) beside the existing residences, with delivery planned for spring 2025 and joint federal-provincial funding.

Where to Look for an Apartment

Fleuve / Boulevard René-Lepage corridor — Rimouski's main strip, with the city's highest rental density. River access, restaurants, and services at your doorstep.

UQAR area / Rue Alcide-C.-Horth — The emerging residential development corridor: UTILE's 155 units and La Logeri's 50 units are both here. Direct campus access.

Cathédrale sector — Around Avenue de la Cathédrale, close to both the Cégep and UQAR. Most competitive for students. Search January–February for July 1.

Pointe-au-Père — Quieter eastern riverside village. Some options for those who want tranquility.

Sainte-Odile and Saint-Robert — Residential and family-oriented, sometimes below downtown pricing.

The Bigger Picture for 2026

Adding 600+ units to a market measured in the low thousands is material. If the full pipeline delivers on schedule — UTILE (July 2025), La Logeri (2025), Maison du Saint-Rosaire (January 2026), Mission Unitaînés (spring 2026), UQAR residences (spring 2025) — Rimouski will have grown its rental stock by roughly 10% in eighteen months.

The unresolved question is affordability at the bottom of the market. New construction, whether private or institutional, typically enters at the higher price end. Tenants looking for units under $800/month will likely continue facing very limited options even as overall supply improves.

Sources: CMHC Rental Market Reports 2024 and 2025; Radio-Canada BSL December 2025; FLO 96.5 Rimouski December 2025; Government of Quebec press releases 2024; CMHC press release June 2024; UTILE press release October 2024; Mission Unitaînés May 2024; FRAPRU compilation 2025. Compiled by Rentack, July 2026.

Apartments in Rimouski: https://www.rentack.com/apartments-for-rent/rimouski. Landlords: dashboard.rentack.com.