Latest news with #Short-TermRentalEnforcementFund
Hamilton Spectator
28-04-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Burlington's short-term rental bylaw takes effect May 1. Here's what the licence costs
Less than a week before Burlington's short-term rental regulations take effect, the city awaits news on a federal funding application to pay for enforcement. Local short-term rental operators, who use online platforms like Airbnb, could apply for a required licence as of Thursday, April 24, but the city had not yet hired new staff to enforce the bylaw that comes into effect May 1. Communications staff said education and enforcement for the new bylaw will be managed through bylaw enforcement's existing operating budget. 'This approach enables the city to implement and enforce the bylaw within its approved resources,' a spokesperson said. The city anticipates Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada will formally announce details of successful funding applications to its Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund after the April 28 federal election. City councillors approved the new bylaw in a Jan. 13 special council meeting , in order to meet a Jan. 24 deadline for the federal funding application. But city and federal staff won't say yet if the application was successful. 'We are unable to share specific details regarding ongoing discussions and funding opportunities,' a city spokesperson said. A staff report earlier this year stated a $300 licence fee would bring up to $150,000 a year to pay administration costs, but would not cover enforcement costs. Staff said it needed the federal grant to fund two full-time bylaw officers dedicated to short-term rental enforcement. 'Without funding, staff will need to prioritize this enforcement over other areas in the city,' the report states. 'Council must approve this proposed licensing bylaw prior to the funding application deadline of Jan. 24, 2025. Failure to approve by this time would prevent Burlington from applying for enforcement funding of approximately $100,000 (to) $4.8 million.' The fund provides grants to municipalities of up to $4.8-million over three years, to support local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions, in hopes of making more long-term housing available. A department spokesperson said applications received by Jan. 24 were reviewed and decisions communicated directly to applicants by March 3. '(The department) does not provide details that have not been publicly released regarding its discussions with partners,' the spokesperson said. 'All non-critical announcements are suspended until government business resumes in full after the April 28 election.' Details on the new bylaw, regulations and requirement for a licence, and the online application form, is available on the city's website . Short-term accommodations will be allowed to be rented for a maximum of 28 consecutive days, and a total of six months per year. According to the city's website, the bylaw is intended to address issues of housing affordability, neighbourhood nuisances such as noise, garbage and parking, and safety, including maintenance and compliance with building and fire codes. Alex Howell, Airbnb Canada policy lead, questioned the goal of increasing housing availability. Howell said Statistics Canada reported the number of Burlington short-term rentals that could potentially become long-term dwellings, compared to the available housing supply, is just .09 per cent — less than the national average. 'While we are always open to working collaboratively with municipalities on thoughtful regulations, there is no evidence to suggest that short-term rentals are driving housing concerns in Burlington,' Howell said. According to the Statistics Canada data from 2021 , there were 346 short-term rental units in Burlington, including 67 potential long-term dwelling units.
CBC
03-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Saskatoon city council seeks federal funding that could change city's AirBnB, VRBO landscape
Saskatoon city council is seeking money to crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals in the city, like those on AirBnB and VRBO, amid an active moratorium on licensing certain new short-term rentals. Last year, Ottawa created a Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund, which was a way for communities across Canada to use federal dollars to crack down on short-term accommodations that consume rental supply and can result in fewer long-term rentals on the market. The City of Saskatoon applied for $380,000 from the fund, expected to cover most of the costs for an enforcement program in a three-year period, with $25,000 coming from the city to cover management and supervision of the program. Adam Clarkson, who hosts an AirBnB in Saskatoon, said the short-term rental market in the city is small and he believes short-term rentals are "such a miniscule part of the problem." "I think it's a political move to say that cracking down on them is going to make an impact in a positive way," Clarkson said. The potential renewed enforcement efforts come alongside an existing roadblock for some AirBnB owners in the city. Those looking to make their rental a legitimate business and avoid the steep fines are not able to obtain a licence, unless the unit is a homestay — when the owner lives in the home where the unit is being rented — because of an active moratorium in Saskatoon. In January 2024, Saskatoon stopped granting business licences to short-term rental properties, which provide tenancies for less than 30 days. Under the city's Business Licence Bylaw, once the rental vacancy rate drops below three per cent it cannot permit new licences to standalone short-term rentals, which are separate residences from where the owner stays. That includes rentals hosted on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia, and Obasa Six-Three Suites. Clarkson would not comment about whether he has obtained a licence. According to city council documents, there are about 230 licensed units in the city. While there is not a precise number of unlicensed units operating in the city, it said there are about 700 listings on AirBnB and 150 on VRBO. The documents also say the city will contact property owners in violation of the bylaw to provide them a deadline to either stop operation or obtain a licence. If they're found to be non-compliant, they could face fines up to $25,000 per day for each day the "offence" occurred, as determined by the courts. Darren Hill, a former city councillor who has had a pair AirBnB rentals in his home for several years, said the short-term rentals generate two to three times more revenue than a long-term rental — though it's more work. Hill says he's in support of the city's plan to crack down on short-term rentals because they "wreak havoc on the housing stock" and help further compound the shortage of rental units because they're not available on the long-term rental market. He defended his rental situation by stating that it is a homestay rental, rather than a standalone that would take an entire apartment, condo or home off the rental market.
