123456: Are Quebec Airbnb hosts faking permit numbers to skirt new regulations?
CTV
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules. Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government. But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
Just a week after Airbnb tightened regulations for Quebec listings following a deadly fire, hosts may already be bending the rules.
Airbnb now requires its hosts to provide a six-digit policy number with their listing, obtained when a tourist lodging is registered with the provincial government.
But a scroll through the Airbnb website suggests users are falsifying their permit numbers to sneak past the authentication process.
For example, CTV News found at least five listings by the same host containing the policy number 123456. These listings were for units in various locations.
In fact, Airbnb uses 123456 as an example when prompting prospective hosts to enter their policy numbers.
