Montreal is further tightening restrictions around short-term vacation rental platforms by boosting the number of inspectors and limiting when people can rent out their primary residences.
The city announced on Thursday that residents will only be allowed to rent their primary residences on platforms such as Airbnb between June 10 and Sept. 10, with some exceptions.
There are already significant restrictions in place, but the city says that despite efforts in recent years to crack down, more than half of the 4,000 units on short-term rental platforms are listed illegally.
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The Quebec government tabled new legislation around short-term rentals in 2023, months after seven people died in a fire in an Old Montreal building that had been housing illegal short-term rentals.
The city says the current rules have been hard to enforce, requiring officials to carry out lengthy investigations to gather enough proof to issue fines.
Executive committee vice-chair Benoit Dorais says the new rules will make it simpler to issue fines and will place the burden of proof on operators to show they’re acting legally.
The city says it’s hoping the new rules will help ease the housing crisis by returning apartment units to the long-term rental market.
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