Three 'basic' Airbnb listings: Owner shares how he easily skirted the rules

One owner explains that he has easily been able to circumvent the rules for renting many basic accommodations on Airbnb, because municipalities do not need any proof.

Edgar* rents out multiple accommodations in the same Montreal building on Airbnb throughout the year. He is able to do this thanks to three registration numbers from the Société de l'Industrie du Tourisme du Québec (CITQ) for “principal residences.” One in his name, one in his partner’s name, and one in the “tenant’s” name.

However, the couple lives in the Outaouais and the “tenant” lives outside the city. He says he uses one of the apartments as a place to stay when he comes to Montreal.

Edgar agreed to tell us how easy it is to circumvent the law, in exchange for anonymity.

“I went [aux bureaux de la Ville] They manually issued the certificates to me and my partner immediately.

He stated that he was not asked for any proof of residence.

Edgar admits that he would never rent out his actual primary residence on Airbnb with his personal belongings inside. “My partner doesn’t want that,” he said.

• Listen to journalist Dominique Cambron-Goulet's explanations via QUB :

Fast replenishment

According to Edgar, the Ministry of Tourism is no more precise. All that is required is advertising photos and proof of insurance when owning the building.

He asserts that he did not have to provide any other proof of address than the city certificate to obtain his CITQ number.

Even worse, when it came time to renew, he was able to pay for two licenses using the same credit card.

“For my partner, this was an issue, so I took out my credit card. I was expecting to receive something in the mail, but the next day via email I received a renewal confirmation.

He was never harassed by the authorities, nor received any fine, even though he had been renting the residence for more than a year.

Montreal tightens screws

Montreal's housing chief, Benoit Dorris, knows that the placement of fake prime residences on Airbnb is a problem.

“We can’t ask for the paper that proves you have a primary residence. It doesn’t exist,” he explains.

Because the verification was incomplete, Quebec City has, since April, required a notice of assessment from Revenu Québec or the Canada Revenue Agency as proof of address.

“[Avant]“We relied on CITQ. There were no requirements,” agrees Melissa Colombey-Leduc, urban planning officer for the Quebec City Executive Committee.

Montreal has just followed suit in some neighbourhoods.

“In recent weeks, it has been requested as a barrier to entry. But the assessment notice is no longer proof of your principal residence in the same way that a Hydro-Québec bill is no longer proof of your principal residence,” admits Benoit Doris.

To add more control, applicants will have to come in person to the district offices. The elected official adds that they will no longer be able to move the agency forward.

Other cities, such as Laval and Longueuil, do not require a document if the owner's property tax mailing address is the same as the building address.

* Fictitious name