The city aims to cut down on neighbourhood complaints and protect the housing market by regulating short-term rentals in Hamilton.
Next week, councillors will consider a proposed licensing system that limits rentals on platforms like Airbnb to an operator’s principal residence.
A staff report before councillors Tuesday also proposes limiting short-term rentals to 28 nights in a row and no more than 120 in a year.
Staff examined other approaches to short-term rentals, including that of Toronto, where a licensing and registration bylaw came into effect in January 2021 following an Ontario Land Tribunal challenge.
Generally, municipalities are moving to a “house-sharing” model that limits operators to one unit at principal residences and bars commercial players with multiple listings, the staff report notes.
The goal is to “improve neighbourhood fit by ensuring personal accountability” and shield long-term housing stock by barring short-term rentals in investment properties.
Pre-pandemic, Hamilton had 898 active short-term rental hosts, 92 per cent of whom posted on Airbnb, the staff report noted. Those numbers “were reduced” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are expected to rebound.
The staff report notes that bylaw enforcement would be “reactive” based on complaints but also “proactive” with “periodic reviews” of online platforms.