The Quebec government and Airbnb are at odds over how to identify illegal short-term rental listings that persist on the platform as the deadline approaches for the company to ensure compliance with provincial law.
Quebec rental property operators offering stays of 31 days or less have to display registration numbers from the province’s tourism industry regulator in their listings, with a new law requiring platforms such as Airbnb to begin verifying those numbers as of Sept. 1.
The law was introduced after a March fire in an Old Montreal building killed seven people, six of whom were staying in unlicensed short-term rentals.
Bogus registration numbers such as “000000” and “123456” are still visible in multiple Quebec Airbnb listings while the company and the province debate how best to verify rental operators’ licenses.
Airbnb argues that the credentials the government issues to operators in the form of a PDF can be fabricated and are burdensome to verify, while provincial officials warn that the company risks fines of up to $100,000 for each remaining fraudulent number on its website after Sept.1.
Meanwhile, Montreal has announced that it is deploying squads of inspectors in three central boroughs to identify unauthorized short-term rentals and issue fines, with the goal of returning housing units to the long-term rental market.
