Montreal cracks down on Airbnbs, telling them they can only operate during the summer
This week, Montreal's city council passed new rules limiting Airbnbs to only the summer months.
Starting this year, short-term rentals will only be allowed from June 10 to September 10.
Montreal is one of several cities limiting short-term rentals, but its summer-only rule is unique.
Montreal is the latest city to crack down on Airbnbs.
On Tuesday, its city council passed new rules that mandate Airbnbs can only operate during the summer.
Effective this year, Airbnbs and other short-term rentals will be permitted from June 10 through September 10 exclusively. Before, properly licensed hosts could welcome guests year-round.
Supporters hope the new rules will improve the current supply of housing for locals who sign longer leases, according to the agenda minutes from Tuesday's meeting.
In a statement, Airbnb denounced Montreal's new rules and urged the city council to reconsider.
From September 11, 2023, to June 9, 2024, Airbnb hosts in Montreal welcomed over 400,000 guests, the company said.
"Rather than enacting sensible regulations, the City is unfairly punishing responsible everyday residents who share their own space — more than half of whom rely on this income to afford their homes during a cost-of-living crisis," Airbnb Canada policy lead Alex Howell said in an email to Business Insider.
Montreal is not the only major city rethinking its rules for short-term rentals. In Budapest, the body governing Terézváros — a hip downtown neighborhood — banned Airbnbs altogether last year. In New York City, some residents have complained a citywide ban implemented in 2023 went too far.
Montreal has attempted to crack down on Airbnbs before.
In 2020, Quebec — the province Montreal is located in — required hosts to apply for a license, post their license number on their physical residence, and restrict stays to 31 days or less.
By April 2023, at least four of Montreal's 19 boroughs went a step further and created zones that outright banned short-term rentals.
The city, however, has had a tough time enforcing the regulations.
As of March 19, 2025, independent watchdog group Inside Airbnb estimates that 47% of the city's 9,722 listings are unlicensed.
According to the agenda minutes from Tuesday's meeting, a Montreal task force that was charged with finding illegal Airbnbs delivered disappointing results.
A team of one commissioner and three inspectors uncovered only 126 unlawful listings over an 18-month period.
Keeping vacation rentals seasonal may make it easier to spot whether a home is being illegally listed.
"If anybody is operating an Airbnb in Montreal in February, the city knows without a single inspection that it is illegal. That is going to make enforcement so much easier," David Wachsmuth, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, told Canadian news station CBC.
Montreal city councilor Alia Hassan-Cournol told CBC that local officials will monitor results this summer and make changes to the law if necessary.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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