Montreal tenant receives eviction notice to make way for Airbnb
CTV
A Hochelaga-Maisonneuve tenant is being evicted from his apartment of over 20 years so it can be converted to a short-term, Airbnb-style rental for tourists.
A Hochelaga-Maisonneuve tenant is being evicted from his apartment of over 20 years so it can be converted to a short-term, Airbnb-style rental for tourists.
Jean-Francois Raymond received the eviction notice from his landlord on Dec. 30, 2022.
"When I received this, I thought it was unreal," Raymond told CTV News at his Ontario Street apartment on Sunday. "I thought we had the law [with] us. I thought it was easy to fight against that."
Raymond is challenging the eviction and seeking compensation through Quebec's housing tribunal. But to his dismay, his situation is actually legal in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
As of 2016, tourist housing is permitted in three-unit buildings with businesses in the sector.
"Landlords that have a viable Airbnb project that can demonstrate that it's not an excuse to evict a tenant, but it's really a viable commercial project, are unfortunately allowed to evict tenants for these purposes," explains Sophie Gagnon, lawyer and general director of accessible legal service Juripop.
The borough gave a similar explanation in a statement to CTV News.
