Sherry Torkos, operator of a short-term rental cottage in Wainfleet, told Wainfleet council that the proposed bylaw to license and regulate short-term rentals is unfair as it stands right now to responsible operators.
Sherry Torkos says she bends over backwards to ensure the people renting her short-term rental cottage (STR) in Wainfleet are respectful of other residents and don’t cause any trouble, but she’s worried the township’s draft bylaw to license and regulate STRs as it stands now would force her to close up.
Wainfleet Mayor Brian Grant, meanwhile, said he agrees with some of her concerns about the bylaw that is once again being sent back to staff to have amendments made to it.
The township has been trying to come up with a bylaw to license and regulate the many STRs in bucolic Wainfleet for a couple of years now. The latest version of the bylaw was presented to council on June 6 for adoption.
That bylaw had stricter, proposed new rules in it that council members requested at an earlier meeting in April, including STRs having a minimum seven-day stay, banning non-renting guests, a three-bedroom maximum per STR, a six-person occupancy maximum, that owner must have owned the property for at least four years before licensing, and tougher penalties.
Torkos said because she and her husband have only owned the STR seasonal cottage, located next to their own home for two and a half years, she’d be unable to get a licence to continue operating it under the current proposed rules.
She also decried the six-person occupancy rule, noting she allows families with up to eight people at her rental unit.
Torkos said she strictly vets people and families hoping to rent her cottage to make sure they won’t be disruptive and even requires them to sign a contract.
“Short-term rentals, when they’re done responsibly, add value to our town, they help to support the economy in several ways: they bring revenue to local business such as restaurants, stores, golf courses and markets,” she said.
Township chief administrative officer William Kolasa said he hoped a newly revised draft bylaw could be brought to council as soon as the next council meeting for adoption.