According to one short-term-rental (STR) operator, the media and nosy neighbours are partly to blame for portraying all STRs in a negative light.
Ken Nagy, a Mississauga resident who has operated an STR in Tay for the past dozen years, contacted MidlandToday to make note of the bad press happening to good people in the recent coverage of STR stories for North Simcoe.
“It’s the media,” stated Nagy. “They don’t ever say anything about good renters. They only say things like that there was a party.
Nagy is no stranger to negative feedback from regional residents impacted by STRs.
According to Nagy, his Tay property was scouted by a person last summer who later made two consecutive reports to fire services over two days. The first response noted a legally-permitted backyard firepit where hot dogs were being attended, and the second falsely claimed a mattress was on fire in the front yard, said Nagy.
Nagy warned of the possibility of heavy-handed regulations from municipalities attempting to stay on top of STR accommodations to appease residents, noting that excessive and cost-prohibitive inspections of fire, insurance and septic systems could drive STR operators “underground” when renting properties.
Nagy’s final words for those wanting to disrupt short-term rentals: “There’s a lot of good STRs and people should mind their own business. And if there’s a problem, call the owner and talk to them.”