“123456”: The license numbers shown on Airbnb in Quebec are surprising | Airbnb management in Quebec

A check of data shared Wednesday night by monitoring site Inside Airbnb allowed Radio-Canada to find that, while listings without a license number no longer showed availability, many hosts entered the same registration number to continue. To enjoy the services of the multinational company.

In Montreal, for example, 29 residences carry the license number 123456 It was still shown on Thursday afternoons by various advertisers, in different areas of the island.

However, the numbers designated by CITQ For owners who want to rent out their main residence on a unique short term basis. and license 123456 It does not appear on the Bonjour Québec website either (A new window)where all tourist accommodation establishments in the province are listed.

Airbnb made a strong commitment last Friday to disable non-compliant listings and add a Mandatory registration field To compel hosts wishing to rent their accommodation on a short-term basis to register their certification number – measures that have been pledged to take effect on Tuesday 28 March.

However, our checks on Thursday indicate that the multinational is not verifying whether the registration number provided corresponds to an existing license, with Radio Canada even managing to create a 30 ad with the number 123456.

Database CITQHowever, it is not general.

It is up to the province to enforce its legislation

After a relaunch on the subject, Airbnb refused to grant us an interview on Thursday.

Via e-mail, however, the multinational indicated that in Quebec, The interrupt issues the number CITQ Directly to the hosts, not to Airbnb.

As such, the county is responsible for enforcing its legislationshe argued, while remembering that she had made the government available to her Cities portalto facilitate monitoring of host compliance.

Half of the ads are gone

adding a Mandatory registration field To force landlords to register their tourist license number appears to have had an impact on the amount of accommodation offered on the platform.

In Montreal, for example, the latest data from Inside Airbnb indicates that number fell from 14,289 to 6,987 from March 16 to 29, a decrease of just over 50%.

The rate of accommodation offered for short-term rental also fell from 83% to 40% in the same period — a percentage that could rise again in the future if hosts continue to list any license number, according to Inside Airbnb founder Murray Cox.

” Based on what has happened before in other cities, we expect this fraudulent use to increase as hosts attempt to return to Airbnb. »

For this reason, Inside Airbnb and the Assembly of Quebec Housing Commissions and Tenants Associations (RCLALQ) are calling on the Legault government to act without delay to tighten the legislation.

They argue that Quebec should be Urgently move to hold platforms such as Airbnb accountable for the legality of properties listed on their sites – What the Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, promised despite the commitment made by the multinational last week.

the RCLALQ Concerned to see rental stock in Quebec diverted for tourism purposes while there is a housing crisis. According to extensive research, the results of which were released Monday, Airbnb offered nearly 30,000 rental units across the province last month.

Minister salutation the efforts from Airbnb

Controversy over short-term rentals has reignited in recent weeks after a fire killed seven people in a heritage building in Old Montreal where most units were rented through Airbnb.

Noting her inaction on this dossier, Secretary Proulx made it public in the days after an imminent amendment to the regulatory framework, even going so far as to summon Airbnb representatives to her offices to personally notify them of its intent. responsible.

A new meeting between the parties was also on the program on Thursday.

We will continue conversations with them, and there is still an effort that was made this week, which I welcome, but I remain firm in my intentions to amend the regulations as quickly as possible.also before the end of the parliamentary sessionsaid the minister upon her arrival in the blue room.

Ms. Proulx is aware that some owners use questionable license numbers. In a statement sent to CBC a few days ago, his department also claimed to have taken note Multiple platforms [faisaient] Hosting promotion without a number or with a fake registration number.

” We’re trying to find all these cracks [sic] For an invoice we will provide it as soon as possible. »

The Tourist Residence Law was adopted in 2021, which requires owners to obtain a license to allow them to rent out their accommodation on a short-term basis. Rentals of 31 nights or longer, which many Airbnb advertisers seem to have converted to, fall under another legal framework.

Some municipalities also prohibit short-term leases on part or all of their land. However, these regulations are still largely ignored, both on Airbnb and other digital platforms.

With information from Yessica Chavez, Sarah Leavitt, Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski, and Marie-Isabelle Rochon