The City of Montreal has finally introduced a squad of inspectors to combat illegal Airbnbs

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante has announced that the City of Montreal has introduced a municipal squad of inspectors dedicated to putting pressure on operators of illegal Airbnb tourist accommodations.

The squad, which will be inspecting dwellings without notice and issuing deterrent fines (amounts depend on the severity of the offence), hopes to bring many accommodations back on the market. Even aside from Airbnb’s contribution to the city’s housing crisis, there were calls for Airbnb to be banned in Montreal following the March 16 fire in an illegal Airbnb in Old Montreal that killed seven occupants.

“Housing illegally turned into tourist accommodation facilities is contributing to the housing crisis by pulling thousands of dwellings for Montrealers from the rental market. Enough is enough.

“The squad will collaborate with the teams of Revenu Québec (which remains responsible for the application of the law on tourist accommodation) and will be present in the most affected boroughs: Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ville-Marie and the Sud-Ouest.

“In addition to bringing many housing units back on the market, our inspection team will help combat issues of cleanliness, noise and safety that may be caused by the illegal exploitation of tourist accommodation facilities.”

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Plante also advised Montrealers to call 311 to report the illegal operation of an Airbnb.

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