Although the provincial government of Quebec amended its tourist accommodation legislation in April to regulate individuals participating in home-sharing services such as Airbnb, some have doubts that the law had any effect on the relatively new industry, reports
The Canadian Press.
Under the law, anyone who advertises a rental accommodation for tourists for no more than 31 days on a “regular basis” is required to secure a $250 permit, as well as purchase at least $2 million of insurance. Home-sharing participants must also pay a nightly hotel tax.
According to the
Winnipeg Free Press, less than 500 permits have been issued across the province. Forty-one (41) of those permits have been issued in Montreal, the province’s Tourism Department revealed.
In comparison, over 10,000 units based in Quebec have been listed on home-sharing websites like Airbnb, HomeAway and Kijiji.
Despite an increase in the number of inspectors and the amount fined following the amended tourist accommodation law, a good number of home-sharers continue to break the rules.
Since April, inspectors have processed 267 files, with 200 of those files related to complaints. Roughly half of that 200 had to do with home-sharing participants and guests violating compliance, while the rest continue to be evaluated. Two cases have been transferred for prosecution.
Marianne Giguere, city councillor of the Plateau district in Montreal, told
The Canadian Press she has heard numerous neighborhood complaints from residents of homes illegally operating as home-sharing lodgings.
“It’s so easy to go around the rule and go on with the illegal activity,” Giguere said.
“In every situation sometimes you’re going to have bad actors,” commented Alex Dagg, Canadian policy lead for Airbnb, speaking to the newswire. “By far the majority of people, both guests and hosts in our platform, act in a very responsible way.”
Even the hotel industry thinks the law is simply too lax on lawbreakers.
“The law lacks teeth because of the way it was written,” said Patrick Thevenard, association vice president of the Quebec Hotel Association, also speaking to
The Canadian Press.
Arguably, the amended law could use more time to deliver satisfactory results, Quebec Tourism Department spokesman Guy Simard suggested.
“These modifications are only five months in the making (and) time is still required to put everything in place,” Simard remarked. “Time will also tell if results are satisfying.”
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