Tourist season spurs rush on short-term rental sites
It’s tourist season in Montreal and all those visitors will need somewhere to stay.
Many will be looking for something cheaper, closer to the neighbourhoods they want to visit or something more “authentic” than a hotel. They ’ll be looking for places on short-term rental sites like Airbnb, VRBO or HomeAway.
So how can Montrealers take advantage of that?
How to get started
“What’s really important is to be really well organized,” said Nadine Iza, an Airbnb “super host,” a status given to Airbnb hosts with high ratings.
She said she tries to create a “feeling of well-being in the room” that she rents out. She leaves out fruit, water and chocolate for her guests. The room she rents has a private entrance, she said, and her guests don’t have access to areas like her kitchen.
Airbnb recommends that hosts post high-quality pictures of the room, outline any “house rules” in advance and make sure there are no unpleasant surprises when their guests arrive.
But, as with all user-rated websites, setting expectations isn’t always easy.
Steven Balogh, who rented his place out on Airbnb while travelling for six weeks last summer, said he listed his place as allowing smoking, and while that got some positive feedback, he also got some negative reviews from people who said it smelled like cigarette smoke.
How much can you actually make?
“We generally recommend hosts search for comparable listings in their city or neighbourhood to get an idea of market prices,” said Amber Cartwright, the design leader for Airbnb Plus, a higher tier of Airbnb that will be available in Montreal in the near future.
According to Eliot, a website that tracks short-term rental prices, renting a one-bedroom apartment in Montreal costs about $149 a night. That rises to $237 in June, the most expensive month, and drops to $115 in February.
Some areas, like the Old Port and the Plateau, are more expensive than other parts of the city. During events like the Grand Prix and Osheaga, prices can double.
Balogh said his main goal was to cover his rent while he travelled, which he was able to do. He also hired a friend to exchange keys and change the sheets.
The legality
“First of all, I made sure I was legit,” Iza said. That meant getting a permit from the Corporation de l’industrie touristique du Québec.
Legally, Quebecers are allowed to rent their place for a couple of weekends a year or during one major tourism event, but anything more than that — even renting during a second tourist event — requires registering with the CITQ.
Condo owners need to be careful, as many condo associations ban short-term rentals. Some fine owners more than $1,000 a night.
Renters also need to be wary; if their short-term rental is deemed “commercial,” they can be evicted.
The Ville-Marie borough has also limited short-term rentals in that area, barring new rentals within 150 metres of an existing one.
Is it worth it?
Iza, who regularly has people staying in her room, said it is.
“You meet all kinds of nice people from all over the world,” she said. “You get to help them find beautiful spots in Montreal.”
Balogh, who worried about the impact of short-term rentals on housing prices while staying in them during his own travels, said he doesn’t think it would be worth the trouble to rent his place out if he was going away for a short time.
“For an extended vacation, it makes sense,” he said.