montreal lifting short-term rental ban, but not in time for grand prix

as promised, montreal will ease its seasonal ban on short-term rentals — but not in time for one of the city’s busiest tourism weekends. the city broke its silence on the matter this week. short-term rental giant airbnb had been asking montreal to act on the ban given that two major events — the grand prix in may and the uci road world championships in september — fall outside the window during which montrealers are permitted to rent out their primary residences. on thursday, the martinez ferrada administration said proposed changes to the bylaw are planned for the fall to give the city enough time to implement tools to better regulate the practice, which remains controversial.the ban, implemented in the fall of 2025 by the plante administration, bars homeowners from renting their homes for periods of under 31 days outside of the summer. montreal mayor soraya martinez ferrada had promised to lift the ban on primary residence rentals during her election campaign. she had also promised to ban commercial airbnbs. "changes cannot be implemented before the grand prix because we didn’t want to pass a bylaw that we wouldn’t be able to enforce," martinez ferrada said in a statement thursday. "it (is) necessary to put tools in place to properly regulate primary residences and to equip inspectors."proposed changes to the bylaws governing short-term rentals planned for the fall include banning commercial operations and imposing a moratorium on exemption requests; limiting rentals to a single principal residence for a maximum of 90 days per year; increasing the number of inspectors; creating a platform linked to the city’s 311 line to track rental days per year and connect complaints; and introducing fines, as well as permit revocations or temporary bans on renting (the length of which remains to be determined).prior to martinez ferrada's comments on thursday, airbnb had been pressuring the city to reverse the ban, first by commissioning an independent report by raymond chabot grant thornton showing the potential loss of tourism revenue during the grand prix and road world championships, and later by encouraging citizens who rent their residences on the platform to attend city council meetings and share their thoughts.the report estimated a $19-million loss of revenue related to those two events because of a 26,000-night accommodation shortfall. (of note, however, is that the report assumes anyone staying in accommodation outside of the city for the event is also spending all of their money outside of the city.)at the time, airbnb said the report's findings raise "serious concerns about montreal's ability to uphold its reputation as a year-round tourism destination." in a statement on thursday, louis-martin leclerc, policy manager in canada for airbnb, called the decision to maintain the ban until the fall "disappointing.""this is a broken campaign promise that will significantly impact montreal's tourist economy — especially during the f1 grand prix — pricing out visitors to montreal with soaring hotel rates," leclerc said. "this decision punishes the many restaurants, retailers and small businesses that depend on visitor spending in every corner of the city, and strips everyday montrealers of the ability to earn extra income during a cost-of-living crisis."tourisme montréal also called the decision disappointing. "like any international destination, montreal must be able to rely on a diverse range of accommodation options to meet visitors’ needs, particularly during peak periods and major events," it said in a statement. "tourisme montréal recognizes the importance of strict oversight of tourist accommodations and reiterates its willingness to continue working with the city to adapt the regulatory framework to the realities of a four-season metropolis, while respecting regulatory objectives." during the election campaign, projet montréal's mayoral candidate, luc rabouin, said montreal had already tried the 90-day limit on primary residence rentals and that it wasn't enforceable. the city had admitted on more than one occasion that regulating short-term rentals is complicated, with hosts constantly finding new ways to skirt the rules.as of march 19, the most recent date for which data is available, airbnb-monitoring platform À bas airbnb showed 871 illegal listings in the city, defined as primary residences being used as short-term rentals outside of the summer.kthomas@postmedia.com