Short-term accommodation rentals
Directors and staff of the Lake of Bays Association have heard from many members regarding concerns about short-term accommodation (STA) rentals. These are typically single detached dwellings (including cottages) that are rented for less then 30 days. We are aware of the potential issues that come with some of these rentals, including safety, noise, parking, and environmental concerns. People rent out their properties for many different reasons. For some property owners, renting their property has become a financial reality that assists them with maintaining and retaining their property. At the other end of the spectrum, there are others who own a property for the sole purpose of renting it full time as an income stream. Many owners rent their properties in a responsible and safe manner. However, the growth of STAs and sites such as Airbnb, is presenting challenges for some communities and a number of municipalities are enacting legislation and regulations. LOBA has established an STA working group that is gathering information, researching what other municipalities are doing and communicating with our municipal representatives.
Next week the Town of Huntsville will be conducting public consultations on proposed legislation that will provide a regulatory framework for short-term, private rentals (less then 30 days) of single detached dwellings in Huntsville. Dates for the public consultations and drafts of the zoning amendment by-law and licensing application and by-law, along with an online questionnaire, can be reviewed
here
. We encourage interested members to attend these consultations and provide input—LOBA representatives will also be attending. In Lake of Bays, the Township planning department is preparing a report on STAs that will be presented to Council, possibly by spring. LOBA will keep our members apprised.
How can you get involved?
In the meantime, we recognize that across our membership there are those who rent out their properties occasionally or full-time, and there are neighbours of those properties with both positive and negative experiences. To assist our working group, we would like to hear your thoughts from any of those perspectives—email Lili Davis-Burchat, our executive coordinator at
executivecoord@loba.ca
.
