New short-term rental rules in Quebec in 2026: Why you should consider long-term room rentals

Faced with the continuous and unprecedented tightening of rules surrounding Airbnb-style rentals, many Quebec property owners now find themselves at a crossroads. In recent years, the provincial government and municipalities have tightened the net around tourist accommodation to protect the residential housing stock. As of autumn 2026, the strict implementation of the 2026 Quebec tourist accommodation law has completely reshuffled the deck for amateur hosts.

At Roomlala, we see the concern of hosts daily in the face of this mountain of administrative requirements. Between mandatory registration, tax collection, and the threat of colossal fines, overnight rentals have lost their appeal. The stress linked to managing transient guests is added to a legal framework that has become particularly punitive for those who do not comply with it to the letter.

See also: 2026 rental reference rate in Switzerland: Shared housing to counter the rise, New EPC requirements in Brussels in 2026: What is the impact on renting out a room in your primary residence? and Rollout of the CIN in Italy for 2026: What are the obligations for renting out a room?

However, a simple, legal, and profitable solution exists: renting a room long-term in Quebec. By hosting a student or a worker for several months, you step out of the restrictive framework of tourism and into the much more flexible one of traditional residential rentals. This article decodes the legislation in force for you and demonstrates why monthly or annual room rental is now the safest alternative for generating supplementary income.

Understanding the 2026 Quebec tourist accommodation law

To make informed choices regarding your property, it is crucial to understand the current legal framework. Short-term rental regulations in Quebec underwent major changes with the adoption of Bill 25, aimed at strictly regulating the excesses of improvised tourist accommodation.

What is changing for short-term rentals?

In Quebec, the law is very clear: any rental lasting 31 consecutive days or less is considered tourist accommodation. Whether you are renting out your main residence during your holidays or an unoccupied room for a weekend, you fall under these regulations. The flagship measure of the 2026 Quebec tourist accommodation law is the absolute obligation to obtain a registration certificate from the Corporation de l'industrie touristique du Québec (CITQ).

This registration number is more than just a formality. It must be displayed in a visible manner on all your online listings, regardless of the platform used. In addition, tourist hosts are required to collect and remit the 3.5% accommodation tax for each night sold. These steps transform the simple act of renting a guest room into a full-blown commercial activity, with all the accounting and bureaucracy that entails.

Let's take a concrete example: Marc, a property owner in Trois-Rivières, occasionally rented out his guest room on weekends. To continue in 2026, he must pay annual registration fees, keep a visitor register, declare his taxes quarterly, and ensure his home insurance specifically covers tourist accommodation. This is a considerable mental load for a few hundred dollars per month.

Deterrent financial penalties and strict municipal zoning

The Quebec government is no longer joking with offenders. Penalties for non-compliance with tourist accommodation law have become extremely severe. A host who rents without a CITQ number or with an invalid number now faces fines of up to $50,000. Online booking platforms, for their part, risk up to $100,000 per illegal listing hosted on their site.

But provincial registration is only the tip of the iceberg. Municipalities also have a say and are making massive use of their zoning bylaws to limit or outright prohibit tourist rentals. In Montreal and Quebec City, for example, entire neighbourhoods are now closed to short-term rentals. Even with an iron will to obtain your CITQ number, your borough could refuse your right to rent by the night if your area is exclusively residentially zoned.

These strict rules create an environment of insecurity for hosts. An unhappy neighbour can easily report an illegal listing, triggering a municipal investigation. Faced with these major financial and legal risks, more and more owners are looking for an honourable and safe exit strategy to continue making their available space profitable.

The practical and human limits of tourist rentals

Beyond the purely legal and financial aspects, short-term rentals impose a pace of life often incompatible with a busy daily schedule. Managing a tourist accommodation is similar to managing a mini-hotel. You have to respond to booking requests at all hours, organise key exchanges, manage unforeseen events (flight delays, lost travellers), and ensure the accommodation is spotless between each stay.

Cleaning is also one of the most significant points of friction. Washing bed sheets, cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming every two days... These tasks quickly become exhausting if you do them yourself, and very expensive if you hire a cleaning company, thereby significantly eating into your profit margins.

Finally, on a human level, overnight rentals prevent the creation of real connections. Travellers are just passing through, often in a hurry, and consider your home as a simple consumer product. At Roomlala, we believe that homestays should remain an enriching experience based on mutual respect and sharing, which is difficult to achieve with 48-hour stays.

Renting a room long-term in Quebec: The winning alternative

Fortunately, there is a solution to legally bypass all the constraints of tourist accommodation: long-term rentals. By choosing to rent your space for periods longer than 31 days, you completely change your legal and operational paradigm.

Zero administrative hassle: Goodbye CITQ

This is the golden rule to remember: renting a room for a period of more than 31 consecutive days is not considered tourist accommodation under Quebec law. Concretely, this means you do not need any CITQ registration number. You also do not have to collect or remit the 3.5% accommodation tax.

This practice falls under the traditional residential regime. It is governed by the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). The rules there are clear, known, and designed to regulate primary residences. You sign a lease or a standard room rental agreement, you define the rules of communal living, and that's it. No more anxiously monitoring your municipality's zoning changes or fearing fines from Revenu Québec for tourist non-compliance.

Use case: Julie, a resident of the Plateau-Mont-Royal in Montreal, could no longer rent her room on Airbnb because of her neighbourhood's zoning. By using Roomlala, she now rents her room to a French student on a university exchange for stays of 4 to 8 months. She is 100% legal and did not have to go through any complex administrative procedures.

Stable and regular room rental income

The other major advantage of renting a room long-term in Quebec lies in financial predictability. With short-term rentals, your income fluctuates enormously depending on the seasons, the weather, or local events. In the long term, you know exactly how much you will receive at the end of each month.

The market is also extremely buoyant. The housing crisis in Quebec is pushing many quality profiles to look for homestays. Your potential tenants are varied and serious:

• International or regional students looking for a place to stay for the university session.
• Temporary workers or young professionals on a trial period.
• People in life transitions (separation, professional relocation) needing affordable and furnished housing quickly.

This room rental income constitutes a significant supplement to your salary to deal with inflation, pay your municipal taxes, or pay off your mortgage faster, all with a management effort reduced to the bare minimum. Once the tenant is settled, you no longer have to worry about the daily welcome or cleaning.

How to get started with room rentals with Roomlala?

Convinced by long-term rentals? That is an excellent decision. However, even if it is much simpler than short-term, this activity requires following a few basic rules so that the cohabitation happens in the best possible conditions. At Roomlala, we accompany you at every step.

Check the rules applicable to your situation

Before publishing your listing, it is imperative to check your status. If you own a single-family home, you have carte blanche. On the other hand, if you are a co-owner in a divided co-ownership (a condo), you must imperatively consult your declaration of co-ownership. Some clauses may restrict the rental of individual rooms or impose a minimum lease duration (often 6 or 12 months).

If you are a tenant yourself, the Civil Code of Quebec authorises you to sublet part of your dwelling, but under certain conditions. It is mandatory to inform your landlord (the lessor) of your intention to sublet or host a housemate. The landlord cannot refuse without a serious reason, but transparency is the key to a healthy relationship. Also, make sure to clarify the occupant's status: is it an official subtenant or just an occupant sharing expenses?

Practical example: Thomas, a tenant of a 4 and a half in Sherbrooke, asked his landlord in writing if he could rent his second room to a student. With the latter's agreement, he was able to publish his listing on Roomlala with complete peace of mind, thereby sharing the cost of his monthly rent.

Declare your income and secure your contract

There is one crucial point of vigilance that we often remind our community about: the income generated by renting a room, even within your primary residence, constitutes taxable income. You must declare it to the tax authorities (Revenu Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency) in your annual tax return. The good news is that you will also be able to deduct a portion of your current expenses (electricity, heating, internet, mortgage interest) in proportion to the rented area, thereby optimising your taxes.

Finally, to ensure your peace of mind, it is essential to properly manage the rental. On Roomlala, we facilitate this connection. Our platform allows you to discuss with candidates before accepting a booking, verify their profiles, and secure payments. We advise you to always sign a written document (a TAL lease or an occupancy agreement) detailing the rent amount, shared spaces, and house rules (cleaning, visits, noise).

In conclusion, faced with the complexity of the 2026 Quebec tourist accommodation law, long-term room rental is the obvious choice. It combines legal security, financial stability, and human richness. Do not wait any longer to transform your unoccupied room into a reliable and serene source of income by joining the Roomlala host community today.