The Airbnb host, who rents a room with no sprinklers and no windows in a youth hostel in Old Montreal, is putting his customers’ lives on the line and offering a musty-smelling place to stay.
• Also read: No sprinklers, fake windows: other dangerous Airbnbs from the same owner
“We should close this place of debauchery,” says a local resident, looking at the door of 402 Rue Notre-Dame Est.
In less than 30 minutes, Le Journal found an Airbnb ad for a hostel room in Old Montreal that didn’t appear to meet building standards.
“Please note that this room has no windows,” writes the Airbnb host in black and white. We rented it for one night for $64.15.
Photo provided by Louis-Philippe Lacroix
Charlie Lacroix died in a listed building fire last Thursday.
This windowless and sprinklerless room also resembled the room rented on Airbnb by young Charlie Lacroix, 18, who died in a tragic fire in Montreal last Thursday.
• Also read: Fire Hazard: Other dangerous and non-compliant Airbnbs from the same owner
• Also read: An illegal Airbnb with no escape route in Old Montreal
The mess
When Le Journal arrived on Wednesday afternoon, the combination to open the inn’s main door didn’t work.
“We changed it yesterday,” wrote our host, who didn’t see fit to warn us.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montreal / QMI Agency
Our journalist enters the youth hostel at 402 rue Notre-Dame Est.
It’s hard not to hold your breath on the stairs of the three-story building. A pungent smell of mold and mildew stinks throughout the building.
Room 14, rented from Le Journal, had no key. Cannot be locked when leaving the site.
Francis Pilon / JdeM
When we arrived at the room rented on Airbnb, there was no key in the box.
“Excuse me, here’s the key,” the concierge tells us straight to the point. The problem is that this key didn’t even work.
fake windows
As advertised, the room had no window. However, small panes of glass served as a shared wall with another lodger at the inn. It was therefore impossible to open these false windows.
In the event of a fire, no sprinklers were installed on the ceiling of the listed building to secure the premises.
“There are two windowless rooms in the building. […] We have an Airbnb permit and the city has approved our layout plans. It’s 100% legal,” says Robert Sebbag, owner and manager of the inn on Airbnb.
Screenshot of the Airbnb website
Windowless room for rent on Airbnb at 402 rue Notre-Dame Est in Montreal.
It should be noted that Mr. Sebbag is also a tenant of the building and derives all profits related to these short term rentals. He assures that the owner, the lawyer Émile Haim Benamor, has nothing to do with his business.
“If we have our residence permit, everything is legal. […] If it’s not legal, ask questions to the city of Montreal, which approved the plans,” Robert Sebbag said.
The city of Montreal had not answered our questions on the matter Thursday afternoon.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?
Write to us or call us directly at 1-800-63SCOOP.