New squad to clamp down on illegal Airbnbs in 3 Montreal boroughs

There's a new squad cracking down on illegal Airbnbs in Montreal, four months after a deadly fire stirred nationwide discussion about short-term rentals and their lack of oversight. The four-person squad will target the Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ville-Marie and Sud-Ouest boroughs, where most short-term rental listings are located, despite being illegal in many neighbourhoods.

There's a new squad cracking down on illegal Airbnbs in Montreal, four months after a deadly fire stirred nationwide discussion about short-term rentals and their lack of oversight.

The four-person squad will target the Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ville-Marie and Sud-Ouest boroughs, where most short-term rental listings are located, despite being illegal in many neighbourhoods.

Under the pilot project, inspectors are authorized to assess dwellings without notice and hand out fines, "the amount of which will increase with any repeat offences," according to a press release from the city on Thursday. 

"In Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, we were among the first to regulate tourist residences. Given the scale of the phenomenon, all we needed was the means to ensure that our regulations were respected," reads a quote from the borough's mayor, Luc Rabouin.

Many short-term rentals in Montreal -- commonly hosted through the Airbnb platform -- operate without permits and in restricted zones.

This reality was brought to light in March 2023 after a fire tore through an apartment building in Old Montreal, killing seven people, most of whom were staying in illegal Airbnb units.

Reports later revealed the building had been flagged by safety inspectors because its fire alarms were too quiet, and a lawsuit claimed that at least one unit was windowless.