No more incorrect numbers like 123,456 on Airbnb accommodation ads… in theory. Even if the rules of the game are being tightened, industry representatives believe that the law to combat illegal tourist accommodation lacks effectiveness.
• Also read: “A very serious blow”: Quebec wants to force accommodation platforms like Airbnb to comply with the law
• Also read: Airbnb: Owners do not hesitate to circumvent the rules to rent out their accommodation illegally
• Also read: Short-term rental platforms: Several major cities are tightening the screws
“They didn’t take the bull by the horns,” complains Éric Michaud, coordinator of the Ville-Marie housing committee.
Starting Friday, digital platforms will be banned from running ads without valid certification or face fines of $100,000 per ad.
It was already illegal to rent short-term accommodation without registering with a Quebec-recognized institution.
migration
“We are seeing a migration towards long-term rentals,” explains Éric Michaud, who believes Quebec should have taken the opportunity to ban rentals of 31 days or more.
“It’s an open door for scammers who advertise long-term rentals but are actually short-term rentals,” he says.
According to the Inside Airbnb website, there are more than 8,500 ads posted on Airbnb in Montreal, more than half of which are illegal.
Cloé St-Hilaire, researcher
The register of tourist accommodations and their public numbers are still not public, regrets researcher Cloé St-Hilaire.
“We have unanswered questions about primary residence. Who might have had the permits? “Are these really primary residences?” adds the doctoral student at the University of Waterloo and member of the Urban Policy and Governance Research Group at McGill University.
Practical challenge
For them, the entry into force will be a “practical challenge” for, among others, Revenu Québec, which is responsible for compliance with the law.
“We assume that there will be more monitoring, that there will be more resources to check the announcements,” emphasizes the scientist.
“Revenu Québec, they are understaffed. When we file complaints, we cannot do any real follow-up,” emphasizes Mr. Michaud.
Revenu Québec declined to provide information about the means used to enforce the law. Airbnb did not respond to our inquiries.
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