12-06-2017, 08:55 AM
CBC has an article titled How Kitchener and Waterloo are dealing with the Airbnb market
The short answer is that they're not. Toronto has recently passed regulations on short-term rentals, as many of you probably know.
Kitchener and Waterloo have both not felt the need to do so, and they're probably right. But I wonder for how long. Already there's talk (premature in my estimation, but sometimes being proactive is a good idea) about a lack of affordable housing in KW. People taking rental units out of circulation to rent them out short-term could start to exacerbate this.
Long term, I don't see how municipalities can help but regulate these short-term rentals. They are almost by definition offered by amateurs who are unaware of safety and other standards. To wit: one of my neighbours installed a basement apartment in a duplex, to rent out exclusively on a short-term basis. Zoning would have allowed for this, but it would have been expensive to provide for proper separation between the units, and enlarge windows to allow for egress in the case of a fire. So he simply didn't. Visitors to the city have no real conception of the fact that they are sleeping in a unit that was never inspected by any authority, and does not meet fire code.
Actually, I have two neighbours who have done just this, thinking about it. One the duplex, another in the basement of the person's home. Neither pulled permits and neither meets egress (or I imagine other) requirements.
I have mixed feelings about Waterloo's rental licensing, but at least it theoretically addresses that issue.
There are positives to short-term rentals, for sure. It can be a modest additional income stream for some people interested in renting out a room in their home at only certain times. But I really could see it becoming an issue in some neighbourhoods in the city, wherein a significant proportion of rental units are taken off to market to rent short-term.
The short answer is that they're not. Toronto has recently passed regulations on short-term rentals, as many of you probably know.
Kitchener and Waterloo have both not felt the need to do so, and they're probably right. But I wonder for how long. Already there's talk (premature in my estimation, but sometimes being proactive is a good idea) about a lack of affordable housing in KW. People taking rental units out of circulation to rent them out short-term could start to exacerbate this.
Long term, I don't see how municipalities can help but regulate these short-term rentals. They are almost by definition offered by amateurs who are unaware of safety and other standards. To wit: one of my neighbours installed a basement apartment in a duplex, to rent out exclusively on a short-term basis. Zoning would have allowed for this, but it would have been expensive to provide for proper separation between the units, and enlarge windows to allow for egress in the case of a fire. So he simply didn't. Visitors to the city have no real conception of the fact that they are sleeping in a unit that was never inspected by any authority, and does not meet fire code.
Actually, I have two neighbours who have done just this, thinking about it. One the duplex, another in the basement of the person's home. Neither pulled permits and neither meets egress (or I imagine other) requirements.
I have mixed feelings about Waterloo's rental licensing, but at least it theoretically addresses that issue.
There are positives to short-term rentals, for sure. It can be a modest additional income stream for some people interested in renting out a room in their home at only certain times. But I really could see it becoming an issue in some neighbourhoods in the city, wherein a significant proportion of rental units are taken off to market to rent short-term.