Aaron Sloan, Manager of Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing at the City of Kawartha Lakes, presented Council with the Short Term Rentals – Regulation Options Report at the April 4, 2023 Committee of the Whole meeting.
“The goal of the report and proposed options to Council was to strike a balance between residents, property owners and STR operators. We want everyone, whether they are property owners or short term renters, to be able to enjoy the property they own or are renting in Kawartha Lakes,” said Sloan.
In the report, Council was provided with 4 different options to consider when it comes to STRs in Kawartha Lakes:
Option 1 – Continue with the current practice: Council could consider keeping things the way they currently are. That includes MLEL staff providing education, tracking locations, enforcing general nuisance by-laws (noise, parking, debris etc.) and charging owners service fees for MLEL response and investigations. The service fees and nuisance fines increase upon repetitive complaints/investigations. MLEL staff have been using the service fee process since 2019 and it has not been shown to reduce the number of complaints received. Should this option be chosen, additional staffing will be needed to better support the program moving forward. Currently, two MLEL officers are on duty on weekends, from 8am until 6:30pm.
Option 2 – Implement a Licensing By-law (Recommended): The service fee system and education component in the first option will remain in place if a licensing By-law is adopted. In this licensing option, regulations will include license fees, ability to issue orders, various enforcement options, insurance requirements, a demerit point system, an appeal system for owners, license suspension and revocation process.
The intention of a licensing program is to create equal standards for all STR accommodations to use, to educate and guide owners and renters, and to create a focused control mechanism to address complaints (consequence and legal process). Should Council choose Option 2, as recommended, the Annual STR License fees could be $300 for hosted (property owner on-site) locations and $1,200 for un-hosted (property owner not on-site) locations.
Option 3 – Implement an Area Specific Prohibition By-law: Council could consider a ban on STRs (entirely or area specific). This option is not recommended by MLEL as an outright ban will negatively impact current STRs and tourism in Kawartha Lakes.
Option 4 – Zoning Regulation: Council could choose to regulate STRs in zoning By-laws. This option would require STRs to be considered through the Planning Act. MLEL does not recommend this option.
Council will determine next steps for Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes in the afternoon of April 18 during the Regular Council Meeting.
Definition of Short Term Rental
A Short Term Rental (STR) is defined as a tenancy that is 30 days or less. This could include renting a private room in a home, an entire home, a seasonal property (cottage), temporary residence, lodging or occupancy byway of concession, lease, rental agreement of any other space for 30 days or less. Short Term Rentals do not include established zoning permitted accommodation types such as bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels, trailer parks or campgrounds.