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At UTILE, we’ve built a unique social economy model in Quebec, designed to provide sustainable and responsible student housing through our roles as provider, developer, and manager.

Our approach extends well beyond our non-profit model:

A sustainable collective legacy
Our buildings are owned by UTILE: a real estate portfolio tailored to student life, that houses the students of today and tomorrow.

Every dollar counts
No dividends. No profit distributions. Every surplus is reinvested in our mission: improving services for our tenants, maintaining our buildings, and building new housing.

A broader social impact
Each new apartment frees up larger units for non-student households, especially families, which helps reduce rental market pressures on a broader scale in student cities.

A sustainable approach
We design, build, and manage our buildings to reduce our carbon footprint, optimize energy efficiency, and create sustainable living environments.

The social economy is, above all, a collective response to shared challenges: a different way of doing business. Cooperatives, mutual organizations, and nonprofits like UTILE put people and communities at the heart of every decision.

Their goals: to carry out viable economic activity, ensure democratic governance, reinvest surpluses in their mission rather than individual profit, and meet the needs of their members or community. In practice, the social economy offers a third path between the public and private sectors: an economy built on solidarity, responsibility, and sustainability.

Learn more about the social economy

Our expertise

We bring expertise to every stage, from the very first sketch to handing over the keys, and beyond!

Our expertise is grounded in continuous innovation — across finance, public policy, and construction — as we develop concrete solutions to address the challenges of student housing.

Our partners in government, higher education, construction, and finance recognize our ability to deliver complex real estate projects. This trust enables us to rapidly bring together all the essential ingredients for each project’s success.

Collaboration and innovation: this is what makes UTILE a leader in affordable housing in Quebec and across Canada.

Spaces designed for student life

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Each apartment includes a private kitchen and bathroom, with stove and refrigerator provided. Depending on the building, services such as internet, heating, or electricity may also be included in the rent.

Every building offers shared spaces to study, connect, and simplify daily life, from study rooms and common rooms to laundry rooms, bike racks, and more. Together, these create a comfortable, stimulating, and safe living environment from the first semester to graduation.

And because becoming a tenant is something you learn, we offer practical tools to ease the transition to apartment living: a tenant guide, an on-site property manager available at least twice a week, and helpful resources to support settling in and learning to live in community.

A sustainable approach at every stage

Because we own our buildings, every project integrates the principles of sustainable development and responsible land use planning.

Our approach rests on two pillars, adapted to each project:

       1. Limiting our carbon footprint from the very start, by using greener materials chosen for their composition or origin. Each project reflects its local context: in Rimouski, we build with wood; in Montreal, we rely on low-carbon concrete and aerothermal systems.

      2. Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, to reduce consumption while ensuring tenant comfort.

Our approach also extends beyond the buildings themselves. We promote active and collective mobility by limiting or eliminating car parking, providing secure bike storage, and ensuring proximity to services and public transit. Outdoors, we create green roofs and landscaped areas, using vegetation to boost biodiversity, reduce heat islands, and create welcoming spaces.

And because we are involved with each building from the design stage, we do more than basic upkeep: we preserve sustainable living environments by anticipating needs and responding quickly.

Non-profit housing

UTILE builds spaces where students of today and tomorrow can fulfill their potential.

About UTILE

that puts sutdents first!

Non-profit housing that puts students first!

The UTILE

model

At UTILE, we’ve built a unique social economy model in Quebec, designed to provide sustainable and responsible student housing through our roles as provider, developer, and manager.

Responsibility is at the heart of our model

UTILE, a social enterprise

This range of experience allows us to quickly deliver a significant supply of sustainable housing, tailored to student life, without ever compromising on quality.

From studios to four-bedroom apartments, all units are rented unfurnished with a 12-month lease.

Every decision takes the future into account, offering today’s students, and those of tomorrow, the space to fulfill their potential.

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