Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: what the open data shows

Safety and reported crime

Over the most recent full year of data, police recorded 1,913 located criminal acts in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, compared with 2,236 during the preceding equivalent period. That is a change of -14.4%, a falling trend. Rated against the housing stock, the borough registers 24.8, while the figure for all 19 boroughs combined is 23.6. This places Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve close to the city average, and ranks it 17 among boroughs when they are ordered from the lowest crime rate upward.

The most frequent category is break-ins, which accounts for 24.9% of located acts. Break-ins specifically total 477, or 6.2 relative to the number of dwellings, against 5.8 citywide. On that measure the borough is close to the city average, and the year-over-year direction is falling.

One caveat applies everywhere in the city: 15.2% of published criminal acts carry no location, so borough totals understate the true picture by a similar margin across the island.

Housing stock and building age

The assessment roll lists 77,067 dwellings in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Condominium units make up 14.9% of that stock, so most residents live in rental buildings, plexes or single-family homes rather than in condominium tenure.

Buildings skew older than new construction would suggest: the median construction year is 1962, and 45.3% of dwellings predate that era's turning point as defined in the facts table. For buyers, older buildings can mean solid construction and generous room sizes, but also roofing, plumbing, electrical and window work to budget for. A building inspection is worth its cost in a stock of this age.

Rents: regional context

The rent figures below come from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental market survey for the 2025 reference year, and they cover the entire Montréal census metropolitan area. They are regional averages, not measurements for Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, and actual asking rents in any given street or building may sit well above or below them.

Across the metropolitan area, the average rent is $1,005 for a bachelor unit, $1,131 for the smallest one-bedroom category, $1,346 for mid-sized units and $1,625 for the largest family units. Use them as a benchmark when you compare listings, then verify against what is actually advertised locally.

Practical notes for newcomers

Because break-ins are the leading category here at 24.9% of located acts, and the break-in rate of 6.2 sits close to the city average compared with 5.8 citywide, basic prevention is worth attention: solid door hardware, secured ground-floor and balcony access, and lighting. Tenants and owners alike should confirm what their home insurance policy covers for theft and for water damage, which matters more in older buildings.

Buyers in a stock with a median construction year of 1962 should plan for an inspection and for a maintenance reserve. Getting a mortgage pre-approval before visiting lets you compare properties against a firm budget, and with condominium units representing only 14.9% of dwellings, expect to weigh plexes and houses more often than condominiums.

Finally, read the crime figures as context rather than a verdict. Rates are borough-wide averages across 77,067 dwellings, and conditions vary street by street; visiting at different times of day tells you things the data cannot.