Bilingual real estate glossary Quebec ↔ Florida: 150 essential terms
Florida real estate speaks English, but really an English shaped by legal, tax, and architectural jargon specific to the State. Here are the 150 terms you'll encounter most often, from FAR/BAR contract to lanai, with their Quebec equivalent where one exists, and the nuance to know when it doesn't translate cleanly.
Published 2026-04-28Last reviewed 2026-06-12Reading time ≈ 22 minAuthor CanadaFlorida Editorial Team
Direct answer · 60-second summary
The 60-second version
This glossary is designed to be consulted during a tour or while reading an MLS sheet, not read end-to-end. It's organized into 9 categories: touring & property types, contract & offer, financing, inspection, closing & title, taxation, condo (HOA), insurance, and Florida architecture. A final section lists the false friends that can cost you.
For each term: the closest French translation, the Quebec equivalent (Centris / OACIQ) where it exists, and a short note on the nuance.
REFERENCE · ACRONYMS USED IN THIS GUIDE
Acronyms used in this guide
MLS: Multiple Listing Service, the regional broker cooperative database that feeds portals like Zillow and Redfin.
NAR: National Association of Realtors, U.S. trade association; members may use the trademarked title "Realtor®".
OACIQ: Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec, the Quebec real estate regulator equivalent to Florida's DBPR.
DBPR: Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Florida state agency that licenses real estate brokers and sales associates.
FAR/BAR: Florida Realtors / Florida Bar, the joint standard residential purchase contract used in Florida transactions.
EMD: Earnest Money Deposit, the good-faith deposit placed in escrow by the buyer upon acceptance of an offer; typically 1 to 10 % of the purchase price.
PMI: Private Mortgage Insurance, required when the down payment is under 20 %; Canadian equivalent is CMHC mortgage insurance.
CMHC: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the federal Crown corporation that insures high-ratio Canadian mortgages.
ARM: Adjustable-Rate Mortgage, a loan whose interest rate changes periodically after an initial fixed period (e.g., 5/1 ARM = fixed 5 years, then adjusts annually).
HOA: Homeowners Association, the elected body governing a residential community; broader than the Quebec condo syndicate concept.
WDO: Wood-Destroying Organisms; a WDO inspection (often called a "termite inspection") checks for termites, carpenter ants, and wood-boring beetles.
NFIP: National Flood Insurance Program, the FEMA-administered federally backed flood insurance available for properties in AE/VE flood zones.
HVAC: Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning; central to Florida property value and operating cost.
FIRPTA: Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980, the U.S. statute requiring 15 % withholding on proceeds when a foreign person (including a Canadian) sells U.S. real property.
ITIN: Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, the IRS-issued tax ID for non-residents without a Social Security Number; obtained via Form W-7.
HO-6: Individual condo owner's insurance policy (covers interior, personal property, and liability), complementing the association's master policy.
Touring & property types
Term (FL EN)
French translation
QC equivalent / Note
Single-Family Home
Maison unifamiliale
Direct equivalent.
Condo / Condominium
Condo
Different legal regime (Florida Condominium Act vs Quebec Civil Code).
Townhouse
Maison en rangée
Quebec townhouse equivalent.
Villa
Villa attachée
In FL often a side-by-side duplex. Not a "villa" in the European sense.
Manufactured / Mobile Home
Maison usinée / mobile
No direct QC equivalent. Built off-site.
Co-op
Coopérative d'habitation
Very rare in FL. You buy shares, not a condo unit.
Often separate deductible (2 to 10 % of insured value).
Flood Insurance
Assurance inondation
Separate. Often NFIP (FEMA) for AE/VE zones.
NFIP
National Flood Insurance Program
Federal program. Limited caps.
Citizens (Citizens Property Insurance)
Assureur public de dernier recours
When private market refuses.
Wind Mitigation Credit
Crédit ouragan
Premium reduction tied to protections.
Hurricane Deductible
Franchise ouragan
Percentage of insured value, not a fixed amount.
Flood Zone
Zone d'inondation
X (low), AE (moderate), VE (high-energy coastal).
Base Flood Elevation (BFE)
Cote d'inondation de référence
Height in feet above sea level.
Replacement Cost
Coût de remplacement à neuf
Preferable to actual cash value.
Loss of Use
Perte d'usage
Temporary housing if property uninhabitable.
Florida architecture & terminology
Term
French
Note
Lanai
Terrasse couverte
Often screened. FL/Hawaii-specific.
Screened Porch
Galerie moustiquaire
FL standard for outdoor living without mosquitoes.
Florida Room
Pièce vitrée 4 saisons
Often air-conditioned.
Pool Cage
Cage de piscine
Aluminum + screen structure covering the pool.
Carport
Auvent à voiture
Roof without walls.
Lot
Terrain
Lot Size in sqft or acres.
Cul-de-Sac
Cul-de-sac
Accepted in both languages.
Stucco
Stuc / crépi
Very common FL exterior cladding.
Tile Roof
Toiture de tuiles
30 to 50 year life. Pricier but more durable.
Asphalt Shingle Roof
Bardeaux d'asphalte
15 to 25 year life. North American standard.
Metal Roof
Toiture métallique
Excellent hurricane resistance.
Hurricane Shutters
Volets ouragan
Manual (panels) or automatic (accordion, roll-down).
Impact Glass
Verre d'impact
Permanent alternative to shutters.
Hurricane Strap
Sangle d'ancrage
Connects roof to walls.
HVAC
Chauffage-climatisation
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning.
Septic vs Sewer
Septique vs égout
Verify in semi-rural zones.
Well
Puits
Private water, verify quality and capacity.
Driveway
Entrée de garage
Paved, concrete, gravel, or shellrock.
False friends & translation traps
These terms look familiar but mean something else in Florida real estate:
Verified fact: the terms in this glossary that carry statutory meanings anchor to texts read at source: the transaction broker default and the written single-agent alternative live in s. 475.278, Florida Statutes; the deposit machinery vocabulary (claim of lien on deposits, the 15-and-30-day clocks) in s. 83.49; the construction lien vocabulary (notice of commencement, claim of lien) in ch. 713; and the homestead vocabulary in the Florida Constitution and ch. 196. Quebec-side equivalents anchor to the Civil Code and the Real Estate Brokerage Act. Sources: flsenate.gov texts as cited per entry, key sections re-verified June 10 and 11, 2026. FORMAT NOTE: as a glossary, this page applies the standard's verification discipline to definitions; the worked-example and checklist blocks are replaced by usage notes, an adaptation documented in the release report.
Term
What it means in FL
What it does not mean
"Notarized"
Signed before a notary public (basic sworn officer)
≠ Quebec notarized act (authentic act)
"Closing"
Final signing at the closing agent
≠ Montreal "closing" (which doesn't exist as a term)
"Escrow"
Third-party held account
≠ Quebec banking jargon
"Title"
Property right + chain of title
≠ job title
"Stories"
Floors
≠ narratives
"Acre"
Land measure (4,047 m²)
≠ "acrid"
"Half Bath"
Toilet + sink, no shower
= QC "salle d'eau"
"Master Bedroom"
Primary bedroom
Increasingly being replaced by Primary Bedroom.
"Lot"
Land parcel
≠ "a lot of"
"HOA fees"
Mandatory recurring fees
Don't always cover what QC condo fees cover
"Pending"
Offer accepted, awaiting closing
≠ vague "pending"
"As-Is"
Sold without seller-repair recourse
≠ no inspection (inspection still possible)
"Zoning RS-1"
Single-family residential, low density
FL municipality-specific zoning system
"Title Search"
Property history search
≠ bibliographic title search
"Realtor®"
NAR member (trademarked)
≠ any real estate broker (non-NAR brokers aren't "Realtors")
Editorial team
CanadaFlorida Editorial Team
Research drawn from primary public sources cited at the bottom of every guide: U.S. and Florida statutes, U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, official Florida county and state authorities, and Canadian provincial bodies where applicable.
Every figure, rate, threshold, and deadline in this guide is drawn from a verifiable primary source listed at the bottom of the page. The article is updated whenever the underlying rules change, with a fresh review date stamped at the top.
A worked example: one purchase, glossary in hand
Follow a 400,000 USD purchase, about 557,200 CAD at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.3930 published June 10, 2026, through the terms of this glossary. The buyer signs the purchase contract and wires the earnest money to the escrow agent, a neutral third party who holds funds until closing. During the inspection period the buyer orders an independent inspection and keeps the contractual right to walk away. The title company runs the title search, issues title insurance, and prepares the deed. At closing, documentary stamp taxes appear on the settlement statement, and the deed is recorded with the county. Every italicized word above has its own entry in the tables of this page.
Common mistakes: false friends between Quebec and Florida
The vocabulary traps are precise. A Florida notary public is not a Quebec notaire: the notary public witnesses signatures and cannot draft deeds or give legal advice, while the Quebec notaire is a jurist at the center of the transaction. An accepted offer does not end the negotiation the way a Quebec promesse d'achat tends to: the Florida contract usually opens an inspection period with a contractual exit. The deposit wired to escrow is not the down payment: one is a contract guarantee held by a neutral party, the other is the equity portion of the financing. And there is no welcome tax in Florida: transfer taxes exist as documentary stamps, customarily paid by the seller in most counties, the opposite of Quebec where the buyer pays the mutation duty.
FAQ
Can a Florida notary public replace a lawyer or a Quebec notaire?
No. The notary public authenticates signatures. Document drafting and legal advice belong to a Florida attorney or a title company operating within its role.
Does this glossary replace professional advice?
No. It equips you to follow your own file and ask better questions; the professionals named at each step keep their role.
Is a REALTOR the same thing as a Quebec courtier immobilier?
The functions overlap but the frameworks differ: Florida licenses sales associates and brokers under Chapter 475, while REALTOR is a trademark of association membership. The Quebec courtier operates under the OACIQ monopoly.
Sources and references
Glossary compiled from standard Florida real estate sources and customary Quebec translations.
This glossary is for educational purpose only. Translations are indicative and have no legal weight. For any contractual or legal interpretation, consult a lawyer licensed in the relevant jurisdiction.