At the same time that the Californian application Airbnb is launching a campaign to seduce Quebec cities, the municipalities of the province are obtaining new powers from Quebec that suddenly make them less apprehensive about these popular short-term accommodation services.
“We have nothing against short-term accommodation services. The municipalities are against the cases of nuisance that they sometimes cause, ”explains Joé Deslauriers, president of the Caucus of local municipalities of the Union of Quebec municipalities. An important nuance which explains why the bill 100 on tourist accommodation adopted by the National Assembly last October is a delight for the municipalities, he said.
In particular, these inherit control over short-term rental in their territory, regardless of whether it is the landlord’s primary or secondary residence.
In previous versions of this bill, only second homes came under the supervision of municipal governments.
In places like that of Mr. Deslauriers, who is mayor of Saint-Donat, the main and secondary residences are intertwined. Limiting the rights of some but not of others would have created “two categories of citizens in the eyes of the law”, says Joé Deslauriers.
The framework proposed by Quebec makes it possible to better regulate the way in which services such as Airbnb are used to avoid overflows. “We will be able to suspend the rental of a residence for two months after two nuisance reports. After three observations, the rental license will be suspended for life, ”summarizes Mr. Deslauriers. The latter encourages Quebec municipalities to adopt a “good landlord policy”, precisely to minimize abuses.
“The important thing is to avoid a negative impact on the neighborhood,” concludes Joé Deslauriers.
Valuable data
Quebec has also promised municipalities the creation of an information portal on short-term accommodation to help them better understand the extent of this phenomenon across the province. Who rents, what are the prices by region, the most popular destinations, etc.
Ironically, this is the kind of data that Airbnb started sharing with governments across North America a year ago, through its own web platform. The Californian service is also opting these days to seduce both cities and business travelers to try to revive its activities, while the travel industry is gradually returning to normal.
Airbnb has discovered that the length of stays booked by its users has stretched considerably in recent months and that one explanation behind this phenomenon is the need for teleworkers to meet in person for a few weeks.
“People are not going to book a hotel room for a month’s stay,” said the To have to Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb. “They will consider a service like ours. The proof: the most sought-after element on our platform lately is the presence of a quality wifi connection. People want to know they can make a video call if they need to work at their destination. “
For Airbnb, focusing on business travelers is killing two birds with one stone. First, as they stretch their stays abroad, they generate more income, both for the service and for the landlord. Second, they are far less rowdy travelers than those who give services like hers a bad reputation. Also, it’s a way for resorts to increase the number of tourists who visit them, now that North American travelers are starting to leave their homes again, Blecharczyk adds. “It’s a way to speed up the resumption of tourism activities in cities that really need it,” he says. We also want to work with municipal authorities on this to help them regain this tourism. “
The company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange since December 2020, wants to present itself as a solution rather than a problem, especially in a context where real estate is less and less within the reach of buyers.
“Almost half of our users say rental income helps them pay for their home. It is for this reason that we founded Airbnb in 2008: to help us pay our own rent, ”recalls the Californian entrepreneur.
A two-edged knife, nuance Joé Deslauriers. “People who plan to rent out their home can afford to buy one that will cost them more. But when people are willing to pay more for housing, it can also drive up prices in the market… ”