Hamilton investigating Airbnb tent listing for $700 a month

“We saw a tent experience within a home in Europe and we thought, well, why don’t we see if there’s any traction here,” Alves, who operates five “hostel-style” short-term rentals spread across more than 50 Airbnb listings in Ontario, told the Star.

“We were going to do it if it got enough traction, we were going to actually purchase some tents and make it look nice and have a listing.”

To her surprise, Alves said the experiment took off — attracting up to ten applications a day before the listing was taken down Tuesday. Now, she’s preparing to turn her test into reality — at the same $700 a month price point.

“It really just shows what kind of housing crisis we have here in Hamilton,” she said. “If anything, it brings light to the housing crisis, the fact that this actually is a very popular listing.”

Airbnb, City of Hamilton investigating fake listing

A spokesperson for Airbnb told the Star: “Listings on Airbnb are expected to comply with our policies and standards, and following review we have removed this listing from the platform,” adding that the company is reaching out to Alves as part of their investigation.

Meanwhile, Dan Smith, acting director of Hamilton’s Bylaw and Licensing Services, said over email: “It would appear that the listing provided may not comply with the provisions as set out within the City’s Short Term Rental bylaw.”

“The City’s Licensing team investigates complaints received related to non-compliant listings and the current property has been entered for investigation.”

As Alves pitched her plans for more “tent experiences,” as well as turning an abandoned warehouse into a “capsule hotel,” lawyers and short-term rental advocates were sounding alarm bells.

“If this spreads, we may be witnessing the making of ‘ghost tent cities’ inside condo towers and residential communities,” said Thorben Wieditz, executive director of not-for-profit Fairbnb.

“Tent experience” Airbnb draws criticism — and demand

The description of Alves’ now-removed listing boasted: “This memorable place is anything but ordinary.

“You’ll be in a tent inside the home in a large shared room with other guests. You’ll be the onlyn (sic) staying in the tent. The tent has a lock to keep your items safe.”

“You’ll have access to the whole house and a fully stocked kitchen to cook your meals,” it continued, adding the tent came “equipped with a comfortable foam mattress and fresh cozy linens and pillows.”

The fake listing’s location, which was “verified” by Airbnb, was in the affluent Cherry Heights neighbourhood of Hamilton.

“We got a lot of requests,” Alves said. “So even though some people think it’s strange to live with other people or share a room with a total stranger … it’s actually very popular and super in demand.”

She hopes to attract tourists with her planned “tent experiences” in the future: “We need to be wary of bringing in locals,” she continued. “A lot of those requests were coming from people that were homeless … historically a lot of them have drug issues and mental health issues — they can create problems for other guests in the home.”

Not everyone was eager to stay in Alves’ tents. Videos showcasing her listing, posted on TikTok, attracted tens of thousands of views and hundreds of furious comments.

“In Alberta I pay $700 a month for 3 bedroom and 1 and a half baths,” one commenter noted.

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Latania Dyer, managing lawyer of Toronto firm Sway Law, told the Star she was mainly concerned about fire safety in these tent hostels. In order to operate a short term rental in Hamilton, operators must apply for a licence and comply with strict provisions set by city bylaws.

“One of those regulations would be complying with fire safety code,” she said. “The code requires that every unit is separated and to have a fire alarm for each unit. So it’s clear that they’ve created multiple units within one unit, and they don’t have a separate fire alarms within the tented area.”

Hamilton bylaw also requires short term rentals be the primary residence of its operator — or else hosts could face hefty fines.

For her part, Alves said: “All of our homes are up to fire code. We’ve actually had them all inspected by fire inspectors … We’re not cramming, like, 100 people in the basement.”

She added that she lives in all her rental properties, which have five to eight bedrooms each and two tenants per room.

Dyer wondered who these “tent experiences” were marketed to. “The thought that came to my mind were really most vulnerable in society and the people who don’t really understand their rights … we see these type of accommodations targeting students that are international, that don’t really understand what’s right and what’s not right.”

But Alves framed her operation as: “Actually being in the business of offering affordable, alternative accommodation for people who don’t have the means to move into a home. People that don’t have perfect credit scores, people that are in financial disarray — we don’t discriminate.”

“I think the most important message here isn’t a question of whether this is legal or not because it very much is,” she said, “but that there is such a huge housing crisis that people are willing to book the tent accommodation.”