A puzzle that throws off every newcomer. You are looking for a place to live, and the ads talk about "3½," "4½," "5½." It has nothing to do with the price or the floor area: it is the Quebec way of counting the rooms in a rental.
The rule. The whole number is the number of main rooms — the living room, the kitchen (if separate from the living room), and each bedroom. The "½" refers to the bathroom, according to JuridiQC, the Government of Quebec's legal information service (French).
The decoding, from smallest to largest. In practice: a 1½ is a studio (a single main room plus the bathroom); a 3½ has one enclosed bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen (plus the bathroom); a 4½ has two bedrooms; a 5½, three bedrooms. For a couple, a 3½ or a 4½ is the most common format.
Careful: it counts rooms, not square feet. Two places both advertised "4½" can be very different in size and layout. The number says nothing about the area, and some configurations count differently — for example, a large double living room can count as two rooms. The number is a starting point, not a guarantee of space.
Why it helps to know this. Once you have the key, you filter ads much faster: you know a 4½ will give you roughly two bedrooms, and you don't waste time on places too small or too big for you.
Good to know for newcomers. Remember the shortcut: the number = main rooms, the "½" = bathroom, and the number of bedrooms = the number minus two (living room + kitchen). A 4½ ≈ two bedrooms. Before signing anything, see our guide to signing a lease in Quebec.
