Opinion: Running an Illegal Airbnb in Your Plex Is the Dumbest Bet You Can Make in 2026

ImmoMulti — direct buyer of multi-unit properties on the North Shore — regularly sees plex owners flirting with "not-quite-legal" tourist rentals. The idea is tempting: a vacant unit between tenants, a few nights at a premium price, and you're done. Except that in 2026, Quebec has tightened the rules for good. Our position is clear: for the small owner of a duplex or triplex, illegal Airbnb has become the dumbest bet you can make with your building.

Opinion column by the ImmoMulti Team. Facts are sourced; opinions are our own.

🔥 The Straight Take: The Risk Is No Longer Worth the Return

Let's be direct: if you own a plex on the North Shore and are thinking of putting it, in whole or in part, on Airbnb without a valid registration number and without municipal authorization, stop right now. The risk-return calculation has shifted. Fines are steep, the government is actually inspecting, platforms are now held accountable, and even landlords who do everything right get their number stolen. The game is no longer worth the candle.

This is not a moralistic lecture. It's an investor's calculation. When a single infraction can cost up to $50,000 and the marginal return of a handful of overnight stays is a few thousand dollars per year, you are betting your capital against a government that has decided to win. For a plex owner at a "human scale," the asymmetry is ridiculous.

Why $5M in Fines Proves the Threat Is Real

The first argument is arithmetic. Over a twelve-month period, the Quebec government reports 2,888 inspections, 1,658 violation notices, 1,184 convictions and nearly $5M in fines ($4,997,321 precisely) related to illegal tourist accommodation. These are not polite warnings — these are real convictions.

And it works from the government's perspective: the listing compliance rate rose from 58% to 90% since 2023. In other words, the vast majority of operators have come into compliance, and the pool of holdouts is shrinking — which concentrates inspectors' attention on those who remain illegal. If you are one of them with your plex, you are statistically becoming a more visible target, not less.

Let's recall the basic rule: any rental of less than 31 days requires a CITQ registration number, displayed in every listing — including, since recent changes, on social media. A false or inaccurate number can cost the landlord up to $50,000, and platforms up to $100,000. For an investor, that's a red line.

Source: Government of Quebec — results of the Tourist Accommodation Act and Radio-Canada — "Quebec handed out $5M in fines".

Why Even a Compliant Owner Is No Longer Safe

Here is the argument that should end the hesitation: even when you do everything right, the system has become a minefield. La Presse reported in June 2026 the case of a valid registration number stolen and used in 13 different listings by fraudsters. The victimized co-owners were preparing a formal demand to force Airbnb to remove the listings and had filed a police complaint for identity theft.

Think about what that means for a plex owner. Your legitimate number can be hijacked, your address associated with listings you never published, and you find yourself chasing a platform and fraudsters to clear your name. If it's already this messy for people playing by the rules, what does it look like for those operating in the grey zone?

Source: La Presse — "A valid number stolen in 13 listings" (June 2, 2026)

Why the Legal Window Is Tiny on the North Shore

Third argument: even playing by the rules, the window is tight. In Montreal, tourist rental of a primary residence is only permitted between June 10 and September 11, with a municipal permit and required consent. Practical result: renting your unit on Airbnb during the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend in late May is simply prohibited — exactly when demand explodes. La Presse confirmed as early as April 2026 that "renting your unit on Airbnb won't be possible for F1."

On the North Shore — Terrebonne, Mascouche, Blainville, Boisbriand, Saint-Jérôme, Saint-Eustache, Deux-Montagnes — each municipality manages its own zoning. Many residential areas simply don't allow commercial tourist accommodation. For a suburban triplex owner, building a compliant file (permit, authorization, appropriate insurance, proof of residence) for a few nights per year is economic nonsense.

Source: La Presse — "Renting your unit on Airbnb won't be possible for F1" (April 9, 2026)

ImmoMulti Deal AnalyzerCompare the real return of year-round rental vs a tourist project before risking a fine

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🎭 Devil's Advocate: What If Compliance Were Simply Profitable?

Let's be honest: there is a real counter-argument, and it deserves to be heard. Airbnb argues that these rules cost the Montreal economy millions and hit mostly small landlords seeking a legitimate supplemental income, not organized networks. There is some truth to that: a owner-occupant who rents their primary residence for a few weeks in summer, in full compliance, can actually earn significant — and perfectly legal — income.

And the rise in compliance from 58% to 90% can be read against our thesis: the vast majority of operators managed to come into compliance. If 90% can do it, why not you? For certain well-situated buildings — near a tourist attraction, in a welcoming municipality, with a dedicated unit and an owner ready to manage it like a real small business — legal short-term rentals can outperform traditional residential rental. Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx has said so herself: "people are complying with the law." It is not impossible.

In short, compliance is not an insurmountable wall. For a minority of well-equipped and well-located owners, it is a viable business model. Our opinion does not deny that reality — it simply says it applies to very few suburban plex units.

The Verdict for the North Shore Plex Owner

After weighing both sides, here is where we land: full compliance is respectable, illegality is suicidal, and for the majority of North Shore plex units, neither one really makes sense. The vast bulk of duplexes and triplexes in Terrebonne, Mascouche or Saint-Jérôme are not located, structured or authorized for profitable short-term tourist rental. The real winning model remains year-round residential rental: legal, predictable, no permit and no risk of a $50,000 fine.

If you were already operating Airbnb in the grey zone, the message is clear: regularize your situation or go back to traditional rental before an inspector does it for you. Tourist accommodation also amplifies other obligations that are often underestimated, starting with the habitability and maintenance burden that falls on the plex owner: a short-term turnover multiplies inspections and complaints. And if managing a rental building — tourist or not — has lost its appeal, know that there is a third option.

For the opposite case — a tenant who is turning your unit into an Airbnb behind your back — we detail your rights and Rental Housing Tribunal (TAL) remedies in our article: Illegal Airbnb in your plex: your remedies. And to put all this in the broader context of rules weighing on small landlords, read our column Housing policy is strangling the small plex landlord.

Read also

Rather than betting on tourist rental, some owners prefer to realize their value another way: our piece on converting a plex to a divided co-ownership on the North Shore compares this exit strategy to a direct sale and year-round rental.