AirBnB in Montreal

Thanks, heading there soon so will avoid Air BnB listings in Montreal, stay in a hotel instead.

hey hey diane
thanks for the article about airbnb. there are always questions and replies about airbnb here. i live in the bay area where they started this company. thought was a great site but not anymore. it's my own opinion and 3 cents worth. couple friends had their apartment cancelled last minute on them and what a hassle and a distaste for them.
so so many issues here, used them few years back, at start of company initiation, in london absolutely horrible experience. so excited about going, 2 bed/1 bath with us 3 friends. owner was out of country and sent 17 year old daughter and friend who was totally useless about knowledge of apt. 2nd bedroom was living and dining room with sofa couch, 2 seat table (3 of us) no lights in bathroom except shower, no handrails in shower with slippery floors, someone elses clothes in washer full of water HUH, oven not working, quiet street?? never!!!! windows on main street for buses, cars, sirens all day/all night.
called and called, no answer leave message and voice mail no reply. it's not listed anymore, thank god.
took train to paris and had a great apartment in the 7th that owner took such pride in, no longer renting out.
everyone here has their own feelings about this company, i will not be using them, i found other sites worthwhile to me to use since we like to rent apartments. don't need any lash back, to each his own.
aloha

Montreal doesn't seem to yet have legislation about short lets. Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver have all made regulations that have managed to drastically reduce the situation outlined. It may mean more homework and research for the renter, but successful rentals can happen. I have had over adozen from Algonquin Park, to Madrid to Quito Ecuador. It is my first lodging search for my travels.
Situations like these are unpleasant and can be very disastrous to people's vacations, but also what may be needed to ramp up city regulation structures.
I recently read a phrase here about people not being good at risk assessment. This is another aspect where you need to do some homework and possibly include a planB. It is personally worth it to me as it is a major reason I can travel in an affordable but comfortable way.

Edmonton has joined the Canadian cities of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver in dealing with issues regarding Airbnb.

The City of Edmonton was growing concerned about noise, parking issues, garbage problems, and more. It was issues like these that led the city to look into the management of the short-term housing rental industry in Edmonton. The Edmonton home-share market has skyrocketed from only 44 listings in 2014 to 2,420 as of May, 2019.

Regulatory measures that home-share hosts will have to deal with include applying and paying for a business license, getting a property inspection by Alberta Health Services, proving they actually live on the property, and providing the city with contact information.

Here's a recent example of a bizarre Edmonton Airbnb story.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/thieves-break-into-edmonton-airbnb-do-laundry-and-leave-note-for-guests

It’s not just Montreal, but many other cities - what it illustrates is how one person or one company can acquire quite a bit of residential housing stock, turn it into short-term rentals, then operate under false pretences, deceptive listings, shoddy practices, and pretty much do a hit-and-run fleece job with unsuspecting tourists, in an unregulated market, and through a ‘broker’ that really doesn’t care much about you & your trip experience either.

What I particularly found interesting about this article is how much of the AirBnB inventory in Montreal that this guy controls, and the lengths he went to, to continue fleecing tourists. Essentially, he’s still getting away with it because Montreal is pretty much the Wild West, crossed with high seas piracy, when it comes to the unregulated short-term rentals market there.

I’ve had good luck with AirBnB (in Montreal too, with a room in someone’s home), but I’ve had some so-so experiences as well. The most bizarre was in Portugal last year: instead of the rooms in a farmhouse that we were expecting, we ended up in a new agey commune, with a daycare and drop-in centre for youth. Our booked night was during their grand opening’s open house and party for the community spaces. There were people partying in our rooms when we arrived - they politely left our rooms when asked, but still... the party went on & on.

That one in Portugal was an exception for me - it was one of multiple listings by that owner. Although I usually have booked where the owner offers just one or two listings - now I make it a point to be diligent about this criteria. I have more AirBnB bookings coming up for next year in Australia and New Zealand, as well as conventional direct-booked B&Bs, and hotels/motels through Booking.com for that trip. I do rely on the sharing economy for savings, and hopefully an enhanced experience as well, when I travel.