Overview

• The bylaw permits principal residences to be listed as short-term rentals only between June 10 and Sept. 10, while full-time commercial units are restricted to specific city corridors.
• Hosts must secure a $300 city permit and meet existing provincial registration requirements to avoid fines under the nine-month ban.
• The crackdown follows a 2023 fire in Old Montreal that killed seven residents, six of whom were staying in Airbnb rentals not authorized in that district.
• Quebec’s tourism department and Airbnb warn the measures could raise hotel rates, drive operators underground and hurt Montreal’s tourism economy.
• Urban governance expert David Wachsmuth says shifting the burden of proof onto hosts may help Montreal succeed where other cities have struggled to enforce short-term rental laws.