Port Moody residents offering short-term rentals in their home could soon face some new rules.
On Feb. 4, a public hearing will be held on proposed amendments to the city’s zoning bylaw and business licensing and regulation bylaw that includes a new definition for short-term rentals and refinements to the existing definitions for bed and breakfast and boarding properties.
The amendments will require a homeowner offering accommodation in their home lasting less than 90 consecutive days obtain a new home-based short-term rental business licence as well as an inspection. Such rentals may also operate only in areas of the city where bed and breakfast or boarding businesses are already allowed and they must not be separated from a property’s principal dwelling unit. It also can’t be located in a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit.
The homeowner or permanent resident operating the short-term rental must also be residing in the home at the time of the short-term rental, which must be registered on a provincial registry.
As well, only a maximum of three guests or one family at a time will be permitted in any short-term rental.
According to a report presented to council last October, the amendments add a layer of local regulations to new provincial laws that have been enacted to help return short-term rental units to the long-term housing market.
The report said the new provincial regulations resulted in a decrease of the number of short-term rentals operating in Port Moody from 162 to 119.
Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam have also implemented their own local regulation of short-term rentals, said the report.
Fines for violating the proposed short-term rental rules in Port Moody could be as much as $3,000 per day.
A study by Statistics Canada said in 2023, an estimated 107,266 short-term rental unit could have been used for long-term housing.
But Airbnb Canada, an online platform that connects operators of short-term rentals with people seeking such accommodation, said that’s still less than one per cent of all the homes in the country.
“While we are always willing to work with governments on regulation, the reality is that restricting short-term rentals does not meaningfully help the housing crisis,” said the company in a statement.
The public hearing commences at 7 p.m. Comments can be made in person or electronically. Submissions can also be made in writing before 12 p.m. on Feb. 4 by emailing [email protected], faxing 604-469-4550, or mail to City Hall (c/o Clerk’s Office).
With a file from Mike Howell, Vancouver Is Awesome
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