Who Handles Window Cleaning in a Quebec Rental Plex

In a Quebec rental, the tenant is generally expected to keep the inside of the dwelling clean, which includes the inside face of the windows, while the landlord delivers the unit clean and looks after the building itself. The Civil Code of Québec does not name windows, so exterior glass on upper floors of a plex is usually handled by the owner, and the cleanest way to avoid an argument is to write the arrangement into the lease.

That gap between what the law says and what happens on the ground is where most disagreements start, especially in the duplexes and triplexes of Rosemont, Villeray and the Plateau, where the owner often lives downstairs and two or three households share one façade. This guide walks through the rules that apply, the usual split, and how to put it in writing. It is general information, not legal advice; for a specific dispute, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) is the body that decides.

What the Civil Code actually says

Three articles of the Civil Code of Québec do most of the work here.

• Article 1911 requires the landlord to deliver the dwelling in clean condition and the tenant to maintain it in that condition. Dirty interior windows at move-in are the landlord's problem; dirty interior windows during the lease are the tenant's.
• Article 1864 puts necessary repairs on the landlord and minor maintenance repairs on the tenant, unless they come from normal aging of the property or superior force. A cracked thermal unit that fogs up is a repair, not a cleaning job, and it falls to the owner.
• Article 1890 asks the tenant to return the dwelling in the condition it was received, apart from normal wear and tear. Since Quebec landlords cannot ask for a security deposit, windows left grimy at move-out can turn into a separate claim for cleaning costs.

None of these articles mentions glass, ladders or the second floor. They set a principle (the inside is kept clean by the occupant) and leave the details to the lease and to common sense.

The usual split in a Montréal plex

Owners and tenants in Greater Montréal tend to land on the same division, because it follows what each person can safely reach.

Interior glass

The tenant cleans the inside of the windows in their own unit, the same way they clean the floors and the bathroom. Nobody expects a landlord to come in and wipe the living room windows every season.

Exterior glass you can reach from inside or from the ground

Ground-floor windows and glass that tilts in or slides out for cleaning are commonly left to the occupant. A tenant on the main floor of a duplex can usually wash the outside of their windows from the yard or the gallery.

Exterior glass on the second and third floors

This is where it gets murky. Fixed panes, casements that do not open far enough, and glass above a staircase or over a sloped roof cannot be cleaned safely by a tenant without a tall ladder. Most owners treat these as part of building upkeep, the same way they handle the gutters and the balcony railings, and either clean them or hire it out once or twice a year.

Shared areas

Windows in a common stairwell, entrance door glass and any shared skylight belong to the building, not to one unit. They are the owner's responsibility unless the lease explicitly assigns them.

Screens, tracks and storm windows

The accessories cause almost as many questions as the glass.

• Screens: keeping them clean is ordinary maintenance for the occupant. A torn screen is a different matter: if the tear comes from normal aging, the repair generally falls to the owner; if a pet or a moving box went through it, the tenant usually pays. Altara does not repair screens, but the crew points out tears during a visit so whoever is responsible can get them fixed.
• Tracks: sliding tracks fill with grit and dead insects and are part of keeping the unit clean. Cleaning them is the tenant's job in most leases.

Putting it in the lease

Every residential lease in Quebec uses the mandatory form, and it has room for services and conditions agreed between the parties. A short line there settles the question for the length of the lease. Something like:

• "Tenant cleans interior glass, screens and tracks of the unit."
• "Landlord has exterior windows of the second and third floors cleaned in spring and fall."
• "Landlord gives 24 hours' notice before an exterior window visit."

Be specific about frequency. "Landlord maintains the windows" leaves both sides guessing; "exterior windows cleaned twice a year, in spring and fall" does not. If the tenant takes on something extra, like cleaning the exterior of a hard-to-reach bay, the lease can also say whether that is reflected in the rent.

Access and notice

Exterior cleaning with a water-fed pole is done from the ground, so in most cases the crew never needs to enter a unit. That keeps things simple for a rented plex: the owner books, the tenants are told the date, and nobody has to be home. Interior work is different. If the owner arranges interior glass cleaning for a unit, the tenant has to grant access, and the Civil Code requires the landlord to give at least 24 hours' notice before entering for work in a dwelling. Planning interior work around a move is easier still, since the unit is empty.

Move-in and move-out

On July 1, windows are one of the items people forget on both sides. Before a new tenant arrives, article 1911 means the unit should be clean, glass included. On the way out, tenants can wash the inside of the windows and the tracks before handing over the keys, and dated photos on both days help either side if something is contested at the TAL.

What a professional visit covers for an owner

For owners who want the outside of the building handled, Altara's flat rate is set by the number of windows on the building, picked on the pricing page. It covers the exterior glass, frames and sills, washed with pure deionized water on a water-fed pole, with screens rinsed in place. The pole reaches up to three storeys from the ground, which covers a standard Montréal triplex, including the top floor and the back gallery. Taller buildings or glass that cannot be reached from the ground get a site visit first.

Interior glass, screen removal and washing, and track cleaning are optional add-ons, useful at move-in when an owner wants the whole unit done at once. Recurring schedules lower the price per visit: 10% off for quarterly, 15% for bi-monthly and 20% for monthly. Spring-and-fall and annual programs come with an automated reminder but no discount. If a streak shows up, report it within 24 hours and the crew comes back at no charge. Exterior work runs roughly March to November, so a fall visit should be booked before the cold sets in.

Frequently asked questions

Does a landlord in Quebec have to clean the outside windows?

The Civil Code of Québec does not mention windows directly. It requires the landlord to deliver the dwelling clean and to look after necessary repairs, while the tenant keeps the dwelling clean during the lease. Exterior glass that a tenant cannot reach safely is usually treated as building upkeep by the owner, and the lease is the best place to confirm it.

Can a landlord charge a tenant for window cleaning when they move out?

The tenant has to return the dwelling in the condition received, apart from normal wear and tear. If the inside of the windows was left noticeably dirty, an owner may try to claim the cleaning cost, and a disagreement can be brought to the Tribunal administratif du logement. Dated photos at move-in and move-out make the facts much easier to establish.

Do tenants need to be home for exterior window cleaning?

Not when the work is done from the ground with a water-fed pole, which covers up to three storeys. The owner should still let tenants know the date so they can close windows and move anything off the sills. Interior cleaning requires access to the unit and at least 24 hours' notice.

Get the building's windows done

Owners of a duplex or triplex can count the building's windows, choose the matching tier on the pricing page and book a date, then pass it on to the tenants. For a building over three storeys, shared skylights or a move-in clean with interior glass, send us the details and the team will come back with a quote. You can also read more about window cleaning in Rosemont.