Purchasing a residence on public land

It is possible to purchase a cottage, rough shelter and even a residence built on leased public land, on certain conditions.

Obviously, when the transaction takes place, the purchaser must ask for the lease to be transferred at the same time.

When you purchase an immovable (a cottage, residence or rough shelter) located on public land, you are responsible, with the seller, for the building transaction.

You must also apply for a lease transfer and pay all the costs generated by the transaction. The lease management organization, which will either be the gouvernement du Québec or a delegate RCM, will not become involved in the sale process.

Before completing the transaction, make sure the seller has complied with all the conditions of the lease, including:

• location
• size
• permitted use
• payment of the rent

If the seller has received a notice of non-compliance (e.g. non-payment of the rent, non-compliance with the intended use, failure to respect the lot boundaries, failure to comply with the single dwelling limit, etc.), the lease cannot be transferred. The seller must take the remedial action required by the gouvernement du Québec before the transfer can take place. 

You may contact the lease management organization for additional information. If the lease is managed by the gouvernement, you can contact us using the contact details below. If the lease is managed by a delegate RCM, you must contact the RCM concerned directly. See the list of delegate RCMs for contact information.

In both cases, you should have the following information to hand when you make the call:

• the client number (e.g. 12345678-AA) or
• the file or transaction number (e.g. 123456-00-000) or
• the precise coordinates of the leased lot