Pointe-Saint-Charles | Residents exasperated by repeated parties in an Airbnb

Residents of Pointe-Saint-Charles are overwhelmed by the parties that continue regularly until the wee hours of the morning in a new luxurious penthouse on rue du Centre. The City of Montreal says it is aware of the problem and is working to resolve it.

Frederik-Xavier Duhamel
The Press

“If I could close them, I would. I like to sleep at night,” sighs a woman who lives across from 1764 rue du Center in Montreal and preferred not to give her name to The Press. “It’s worse on weekends, from Friday to Sunday, but it’s not much better during the week,” she adds.

For about a month, they and their neighbors have been experiencing the parties and the noise until very late in this luxury penthouse on three floors with a terrace. On the roof, a hot tub and an outdoor bar are among the attractions displayed in the establishment’s Airbnb ad, where you can spend a night for just over $6,700.

Saturday morning, many residents complained about the constant noise since the day before in a local Facebook group, supporting videos. Fireworks were also reportedly lit in the parking lot behind the building during the night.

The Press passed a few people who were leaving the premises early Saturday afternoon. They did not want to answer our questions. In the inner courtyard, a young man who introduced himself as “a friend of the owners” asked us to leave.

“I hear them, for sure, they even made fireworks. They made a lot of noise late, it prevented me from sleeping,” says Marc Labbé, who lives in the building next door. He, too, notes that revelers have been particularly loud on weekends for at least three weeks.

The police intervened on Saturday morning, according to testimonies collected by The Press and posted on social media. The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) did not respond to questions from The Press at the time of publishing this text.

Already on May 27, Valérie De Saint Rapt challenged Benoit Dorais and Craig Sauvé, respectively mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough and municipal councilor, about the penthouse.

“We talk about this newly built hotel in the middle of residences […] who does after parties from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. on their rooftop,” she wrote in a Facebook post. ” It’s unbearable ! Impossible to sleep ! »

“We councilors did not vote to put a luxury party mansion here,” Craig Sauvé commented in the post. “We are examining the file to see how to regulate the situation. »

No news from the owners

Reached by email on Saturday, Clubhous, which posted the ad on Airbnb, had not responded to requests for The Press at the time of publishing this text.

The current owners of the building are the Rasuli family, who purchased it in 2018. A business registered at this address lists Kevin Rasuli as well as Sohail Manoussi and Jimmy Maung, all of Ottawa, as directors.

In another publication of January 25, 2021 by M^me From Saint Rapt, who wondered about the work in progress on the lot, Mr. Dorais had commented that it was “a small hotel project with complete universal accessibility”. Mr. Sauvé had specified that it would be “a small independent hotel that could serve people with functional limitations”.

In a private message following his May posting, Mr. Sauvé admitted to Mr.^me De Saint Rapt that “we note, like you, that the use does not correspond with what we have approved”.

“The borough, both elected officials and civil servants, is aware of the situation and is currently working to ensure compliance with the zoning and the intended use of this new construction. Although hotel use is permitted at this address, short-term rentals are prohibited, he adds.

“An inspection has already taken place at the beginning of the month and others will follow. We also invite citizens to contact the SPVM for all nuisances, we add. It’s the tranquility of an entire neighborhood that depends on it,” concludes Mr. Dorais.