Acquiring an existing lease on public land

One of the easiest ways of obtaining a vacation lot on public land is to acquire an existing leas from a lessee who wishes to transfer it.

To acquire or transfer a vacation lease on public land, you must first apply for a lease transfer. Certain restrictions may apply to transfers.

If the lease is managed by a delegate RCM, you must send your application directly to it. Please see the list of delegate RCMs for information on where to send your application

Before acquiring a lease, consider the following terms:

• All rent owing must be paid in full before the lease is transferred.

• The unused portion of the annual rent is not refundable. The lessee transferring the lease must agree with the new lessee on financial compensation for the months of rent already paid.

• The two parties are responsible for the transaction in respect of the buildings and improvements on the leased lot. Proof of the sale transaction is only required in certain exceptional cases.

To acquire an existing lease, you must:

• Complete an application to transfer a lease (PDF 120 Kb) (in French only). 
• If you are acting as a representative (signatory), mandatary, legal person or partnership, attach the power of attorney or the certified copy of the resolution adopted by the board of directors or municipal council (PDF 436 Kb) (in French only) authorizing you to submit the application on its behalf.
• Sign your application in the presence of a commissioner for oaths .
• Send your duly signed form, by email or by post, to the coordinates below.
• Pay a non-refundable administrative fee of $420.81 (including GST and QST) to cover the cost of issuing the new lease.

Once the lease has been transferred, a new annual lease is agreed upon with the new lessee, and the rent is reviewed in compliance with current regulations.

A lease cannot be transferred if the lessee who wishes to transfer it has received a written notice of non-compliance (e.g. non-payment of the rent, non-compliance with usage requirements, failure to respect the boundaries of the lot, failure to respect the single dwelling restriction, etc.). The lessee must first take the remedial steps required by the gouvernement du Québec before proceeding with the transfer.

If you are leasing or wish to lease a vacation lot allocated by means of a random draw, you cannot transfer the lease in the five years following the date of the first lease, except in the following cases:

• A building worth at least $10,000 has been constructed on the lot.
• A building on the leased lot has been sold by order of a court, sold to pay taxes, or sold to exercise a right of foreclosure.
• The lease is transferred to the spouse, father, mother, brother, sister or child of the lessee.
• The lease is transferred following the lessee’s death (see what to do if the lessee dies).

The lessee must show that he or she meets one of the above conditions. The supporting documents that may be requested include:

• Valuation roll
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Death certificate
• Sworn declaration
• Will
• Contract of sale
• Declaration of transfer of immovable property

All leases on public land are entered in the Register of the Domain of the State  (in French only). You may consult the interactive map free of charge to see the leases that have been issued in a specific area.