Quebec introduces short-term rental law with heavy fines for uncertified listings

Quebec’s new tourist accommodation law is now in effect, with hefty fines of up to $100,000 for short-term rental platforms listing properties without proper government certification.

Under a provincial law pa*sed in June, rental platforms like Airbnb are now prohibited from displaying listings that do not have a provincially issued registration number and certificate.

People wishing to rent their property for stays of 31 days or less must acquire a registration number from the Quebec tourism industry regulator and display it in their online listings.

Rental platforms had until September 1 to start checking the validity of these registration numbers, which the government issues as PDF certificates.

Rental operators who post false or inaccurate registration information face fines of up to $50,000, and platforms must now have a representative in Quebec or face a fine of up to $50,000. $20,000.

The City of Montreal announced last month that due to many illegal tourist accommodations with falsified listings, it would deploy a squad of inspectors to three central boroughs to identify illegal short-term rentals and issue fines.