There are at least 439 active short-term rental listings in the City of Greater Sudbury, according to a municipal report tabled for the Nov. 15 finance and administration meeting of city council.
The figure draws from an online listings aggregator called AirDNA, which notes 88% of local short-term residential rental listings are on Airbnb.
City bylaw manager Stefany Mussen clarified in her report that the short-term rental listing estimate isn’t a concrete number, as it’s difficult to get an accurate count of how many exist in Greater Sudbury. Some listings are for certain months or weeks of the year, and there’s constant turnover of properties.
Mussen’s report concludes that the city’s Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw should be amended to permit short-term rentals in certain zones, and that a short-term rental bylaw be created.
Mayor Paul Lefebvre requested the report in a motion to city council in August, at which time he clarified that his intent was for the city to get a firmer grasp on what’s out there.
The proposed resolutions tabled for city council consideration on Nov. 15 would be a starting point triggering community engagement and a review of what other municipalities are doing, with recommendations coming back to city council by September 2024.
Although more will be known then (pending city council direction on Nov. 15), Mussen’s report offers some background on the implications of short-term rentals.
To date, only one formal complaint has been filed with the city about a short-term rental property, and had to do with a property being used for large-scale events. This complaint, Mussen wrote, was dealt with by education and enforcement of the city’s noise bylaw.
The as-yet undefined Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments proposed by Mussen would “define and permit STRs (short-term rentals) in certain zones subject to provisions.”
The similarly undefined proposed short-term rental bylaw “would outline basic requirements for owners and operators, with a focus on education and enforcement.”