One goal of the City of Burlington’s review of short-term rental licensing and regulation is achieving fairness for local businesses.
Burlington Chamber of Commerce president Terry Caddo said the chamber is happy to see the city moving ahead with public consultation this month on a short-term rental (STR) bylaw to regulate and license the rental of residences for less than 30 days, usually through platform like Airbnb and Vrbo.
While residents and councillors have raised issues for at least five years about short-term rentals being used for “party houses” that disrupt neighbourhoods, Caddo said there’s another aspect to the issue.
He noted that STRs, through various platforms, don’t pay the hotel room tax collected to support local tourism.
The city is now seeking public feedback on, and experiences with, short-term rental properties in Burlington to help inform development and implementation of a city-wide Short-Term Rental Compliance and Licensing Program. A staff report is expected to be presented to city council in early 2025.
An online survey is open until Nov. 29 and virtual public open houses are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m.
For details, updates, access to the survey and links to the virtual public open houses, go to getinvolvedburlington.ca/strentals.
In April 2023, Burlington city council directed staff to develop and implement a city-wide short-term accommodation compliance and licensing program.
Currently, there are no regulations specific to short-term rentals in Burlington. Short-term rental properties are held to the same bylaws that regulate the rest of the community, including property standards, noise and parking. Specific zoning requirements for short-term rentals could be implemented.
Contributing taxes that support local tourism is one of the issues that could be addressed in a short-term rental bylaw.
The study states tax requirements are a standard component of most STR frameworks in Canada and represent a significant revenue-raising tool for Canadian governments.
Effective regulation is highlighted as a challenge.
The University of Calgary study found some enforcement challenges might come from lack of local staff capacity in some municipalities.
How extensive and accessible the licensing process is for operators is another challenge.