By Pierre Saint-Arnaud
Town introduced Thursday that folks will solely be allowed to hire their main residences on platforms similar to Airbnb between June 10 and Sept. 10, with some exceptions.
Mayor Valérie Plante stated town hopes the brand new guidelines will return as many as 2,000 items again to the long-term rental market.
“At the moment my message is that unlawful enterprise on the again of Montreal renters is completed,” Plante informed a information convention.
Town says that regardless of efforts lately to crack down, greater than half of the 4,000 items on short-term rental platforms are listed illegally.
The Quebec authorities tabled new laws round short-term leases in 2023, months after seven individuals died in a hearth in an Previous Montreal constructing that had been housing unlawful short-term leases.
That legislation required short-term rental firms to make sure their on-line listings are licensed by the province and made it unlawful for anybody to promote a short-term rental on-line with out together with the quantity and expiry date for his or her provincial certificates.
Many Montreal boroughs have restricted full-time Airbnbs to sure business areas. Nonetheless, guidelines have been much less strict when it got here to renting out a main residence, with a purpose to permit individuals to briefly hire whereas they have been away for brief durations, similar to on trip.
Town says the present guidelines have been onerous to implement, requiring officers to hold out investigations lasting as much as a yr to assemble sufficient proof to subject fines. Plante stated some individuals use totally different schemes to falsely declare a full-time rental as a main residence, similar to placing leases beneath members of the family’ names or faux names and making false declarations of residence.
Plante stated the brand new guidelines will shift the burden of proof on operators to indicate they’re appearing legally and permit inspectors to subject fines of $1,000 a day as quickly as an inventory pops up exterior of the allowable interval. That may rise to $2,000 for second offences.
“The minute you submit an residence as accessible out of the interval that’s attainable, you’ll get a superb,” Plante stated. “If you happen to hire it exterior this era, you’ll get a superb, $1,000 for each location, each day.”
Even earlier than her announcement, Plante drew criticism from Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx who accused her of attempting in charge the province for her administration’s issues.
“Mayor Valérie Plante is in search of somebody in charge for her inaction in offering housing and the massive offender is short-term lodging,” Proulx stated Thursday morning in Quebec Metropolis.
Plante retorted: “I don’t suppose a minister needs to be comfy along with her legislation being so flouted.”
Town can be growing the variety of inspectors to 10 from 4.
Alex Howell, a spokesperson for Airbnb, stated the brand new guidelines would harm tourism to town with out resolving the housing disaster. In an e-mail, Howell described the measures as “excessive guidelines that can weaken the financial system, hurt native companies, drive lodge costs up and punish accountable hosts who rely on extra earnings throughout a price of residing disaster.”
Town’s new guidelines are anticipated to be adopted in March. Those that want to hire out their houses through the permitted three-month interval will want a allow, which prices $300.
Residences that have already got a allow to function legally as a full-time short-term rental received’t be affected by the brand new guidelines.
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 30, 2025.
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Final modified: January 30, 2025