Regulating short-term tourist accommodation is so difficult that some believe it’s time to ban platforms like Airbnb to end the Wild West.
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“After all the attempts to regulate and control properly, it’s time to say it’s not working,” said Montreal Southwest Councilman Craig Sauvé. We gotta say to Airbnb and other platforms, VRBO, the whole gang, enough is enough. »
Noise, garbage, loss of housing, abuses against short-term apartment rentals have been known for more than 10 years.
But the fire that broke out at an illegal Airbnb in Old Montreal last week has exposed the flaws in Quebec’s and the cities’ control system.
“There are not many things that are so illegal that we tolerate,” emphasizes Cédric Dussault, spokesman for the Regroupement des Comités Logements et Associations de Tenants du Québec (RCLALQ), who also calls for a ban on these platforms.
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Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx announced on Monday that she would fine platforms like Airbnb.
As of 2020, only hosts who failed to include their ministry registration number in their listings were penalized.
Airbnb announced yesterday that it would remove all illegal listings from its platform.
“It’s a step in the right direction, but I remain quite skeptical,” says Craig Sauvé. There are a lot of companies out there and I’ve kind of lost faith that they’re going to regulate themselves. »
Cédric Dussault believes that despite these new measures, problems will continue
“There are still people who will lose their homes because regulations in many places allow it,” he said.
A mess
Controlling illegal tourist residences has been an almost impossible task for years.
In condos, some are taking drastic measures to circumvent the bans.
The former manager of the dossier in the Plante administration, Richard Ryan, recalls the legal complexity of the matter.
“Community inspectors can’t just say, ‘We found an advert.’ You have to take a credit card and make a transaction to take them to court,” he explains.
According to Mr. Ryan, that’s a lot of resources for a “slap on the wrist” of $1,000 or $2,000 in fines.
“It was tested on the plateau 10 years ago, but it never worked. When the illegal activity has stopped, the judge will not sentence,” he says.
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