Owners of rental chalets note with regret that many potential customers are still trying to circumvent health rules.
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In fact, owners receive a constant number of reservation requests that do not respect the limits of the family bubble.
Sébastien Rhéaume owns a chalet in Saint-Tite. For two months, he has been renting it. However, Mr. Réhaume said he had to refuse ten requests per week, because they would not meet the criteria established by Public Health.
“I receive more illegal than legal requests. Whether it’s students, two families at the same time or a small group of work colleagues, it doesn’t stop, ”he said.
A similar observation arose in Grandes-Piles, in Mauricie, where the owner of the Lacoss chalets, Marc Cossette, often had to answer questions about the restrictions.
“They will ask us if our chalets are glued together and if we can see the neighborhood. People are afraid of being denounced and prefer to hide, ”he said.
Marc Cossette lives near his four rental cabins, which allows him to monitor them more closely.
In Mauricie and Center-du-Québec, there are 360 tourist residences, out of a total of 7,896 in Quebec. The Ministry of Tourism emphasizes that landlords who turn a blind eye to illegal bookings can also be issued a fine.
For Sébastien Rhéaume, the reality of owners of large-format chalets is more difficult than his. “Landlords are hungry. The mortgage on these big chalets is huge and one family at a time is not enough, ”he said.
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