Revenu Québec fines Montrealer $3,750 for Airbnb she 'unlisted' 2 years ago, when law changed
CBC
Up until three years ago, Montrealer Ashley Werhun was occasionally renting out the condo she shares with her fiancé on Airbnb when they were out of town.
In 2019, the Quebec government toughened the rules for short-term rentals, and Werhun decided at that point to stop renting her property. She hasn't rented it since.
But in 2021, after a Father's Day weekend visit from her father-in-law, Revenu Québec fined Werhun $3,750 for having a listing for an unregistered Airbnb.
She received notice of the fine a few months later in the mail. The letter from Revenu Québec said it appeared that she'd had a visitor on the Father's Day weekend, and that inspectors had subsequently discovered her Airbnb listing online.
The letter also included photographs inspectors had taken of her residence without her knowledge a few weeks after her father-in-law's visit.
Werhun isn't clear on how Revenu Québec was made aware of her father-in-law's visit (she believes it's possible an unwitting neighbour may have made a complaint), but it was that visit that prompted Revenu Québec to follow up.
Even though her father wasn't a paying guest, and she explained that to Revenu Québec, she was still fined.
"It doesn't matter if you actually rented it, it doesn't matter if you made zero dollars," Werhun told CBC in an interview at the Montreal courthouse Monday.
Her story highlights the frustration of many Airbnb hosts who feel they've been unfairly targeted since Quebec toughened the rules.
The rule change that has prompted such consternation came in 2019.
That's when Quebecers who rented out their homes on a short-term basis (under 31 days) were required to obtain a registration number through the province for a cost of $50.
That number has to be included on any advertising, contract or website connected to the rental unit.
The province was slow to start enforcing the law but started to ramp up enforcement in 2021 after hiring more inspectors. Revenu Québec also stopped giving warnings, instead proceeding straight to fines.
The fine for an individual who fails to correctly post their registration number is $3,750 including administrative fees. If two people are listed as property owners, each individual is fined that amount.
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