Quebec Tables New Bill to Crack Down on Airbnb-Style, Short-Term Rentals

Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx presents legislation that would regulate the rental of short-term residences, at the legislature in Quebec City, May 9, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot)

The Quebec government has tabled a bill that would require short-term rental companies to ensure their online listings are certified by the province.

The legislation would make it illegal for anyone to advertise a short-term rental online without including the number and expiry date for their provincial certificate.

Quebec’s bill is in response to calls from cities for limits on the number of Airbnb-style rentals, which have removed apartments from the long-term rental market and exacerbated housing shortages.

The bill also comes after seven people died in March in a fire in an Old Montreal heritage building that had been housing illegal short-term rentals on Airbnb.

After the fire, Airbnb said it would voluntarily remove all uncertified listings in Quebec from its online platform and require all new listings to have certificate numbers.

The bill includes fines for online platforms of up to $100,000 for each illegal rental listing.