❄️☀️ Snowbirds: Is It Better to Keep Your Home or Rent Temporarily During Your Summer Stay in Quebec?

For Quebec snowbirds, winter is spent in the sun and summer back home. But one question comes up year after year: should you keep your primary residence in Quebec while you spend several months abroad, or sell it and rent temporarily when you return for the summer?

There is no single answer — but by carefully assessing your needs, your lifestyle and your priorities, you may discover that a summer temporary rental is more advantageous than you imagined.

Option 1: Keep your primary residence in Quebec

The advantages:

• You have a fixed home base, your “real home”
• No need to search for housing every time you return
• You keep your bearings, your neighbourhood, your habits

The drawbacks:

• High year-round costs (taxes, maintenance, winter heating, insurance)
• A property sitting empty for several months, which can bring risks (theft, undetected damage, depreciation)
• You tie up significant capital in a home you only use a few months a year

Option 2: Rent temporary housing for the summer

The advantages:

• No annual maintenance obligations
• Zero winter worries: no more shovelling, heating or checking on an empty house
• You free up equity by selling your property, while keeping the flexibility to come back where and when you want
• Each summer, you choose the location and type of housing that suits you: a city apartment, a country chalet, a fully equipped condo…

The drawbacks:

• You need to book in advance to be sure of finding housing available in the area you want
• Less sense of stability or long-term belonging

A hybrid solution: rent the same home every year

Companies like Kondo offer furnished homes available for temporary rental of 30 days or more, across Quebec. You can even book ahead for the summer months, in the same area every year, and so regain a certain sense of continuity, without the responsibilities of a homeowner.

The financial side: a deciding factor

Many snowbirds today choose to sell their primary residence, then rent during the summer. Why?

• They significantly reduce their fixed annual costs
• They put their capital to work (e.g. reinvest it, pass it on or enjoy it fully)
• They free themselves from any property management from a distance

By renting temporarily, you only pay for what you actually use.

✅ In summary

Conclusion: a freedom to redefine

Being a snowbird means enjoying the freedom to choose your own pace of life. Renting temporarily when you return for the summer lets you eliminate the hassles of home ownership, while keeping the pleasure of coming back to Quebec each summer.

With partners like Kondo, you have access to furnished, comfortable, well-located homes, available according to your dates, your preferences and your needs — for a summer without compromise.