By Canadian Press

Airbnb: 79 per cent of Quebec rentals in February not certified, housing group says

Mar 28, 2023 | 11:48 AM

MONTREAL — A report by a Montreal tenants’ rights association says 79 per cent of the roughly 30,000 units in Quebec that were available for rent in February on Airbnb were not certified by the province.

The Coalition of Housing Committees and Tenants Associations of Quebec says Airbnb has contributed to the housing shortage because the platform takes units off the long-term rental market.

The group says that in some regions of the province, the number of February listings without registration numbers rose compared to the prior month.

Cedric Dussault, a co-spokesperson for the group, says vacancy rates in most regions of Quebec would be at three per cent or higher if the units on Airbnb were put on the long-term rental market.

The short-term rental company said last week it would remove all Quebec listings without permits, eight days after a fatal fire destroyed an Old Montreal building that housed illegal rentals.

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As of today, the San Francisco-based housing marketplace still hosted Quebec listings without permit numbers issued by the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023.

The Canadian Press