Bill 67 regarding tourist lodging: still persistently blurry

Even though bill 67, which requires a tenant who is renting or subletting his apartment to tourists to obtain a certificate, has been in effect since April 15th, it remains ambiguous and casts doubt among building owners. CORPIQ is asking for clarification.

CORPIQ requests that the definition of renting « on a regular basis » be clarified, since it is open to interpretation. CORPIQ is also asking for a certificate to be required whenever there is more than two instances of renting or sub-letting per year. Even the new Minister of Tourism acknowledged that « the law deserves to be clarified », as mentioned in a CBC report.

Furthermore, Article 41.1 of the law states that the mere fact of owning a home rented without certificate for tourism (in this case by the tenant) is enough to make the property owner liable and therefore face penalties. Although the former Tourism Minister Dominique Vien explained that the owner would not be accountable if he has indicated in the lease that the property is leased for residential purposes only, the current version of the lease remains vague on this subject. CORPIQ asked the new minister to amend the lease of the Régie du Logement in order to clearly disclose whether or not a tenant can sub-let to tourists.

This draws significant concern on behalf of property owners, especially considering the fact that about 50 000 housing units in Quebec were sublet to tourists during the past year, according to CORPIQ’s calculations based on a Léger poll.