By Alex Rawnsley

RENTAL CRACKDOWN

City of Nanaimo cracking down on short-term, Airbnb-specific rentals

Oct 29, 2020 | 5:28 AM

NANAIMO — Airbnb and short-term rentals are the focus of bylaw changes in Nanaimo.

An amended bylaw would target homes which are exclusively used as short-term rentals year round. The governance and priorities committee on Monday, Oct. 26 agreed to require business licenses for all short-term rental properties.

David Stewart, a social planner with the City, told NanaimoNewsNOW increasing the amount of short-term rentals doesn’t increase the below-par vacancy rate and skyrocketing monthly rental costs.

“Folks can generally make a little more money when they’re renting out on a short-term basis, so there’s incentive for property owners to do that. What that does is it takes that housing out of the long-term rental market.”

Secondary homes would also not be allowed to be used for short-term rentals on sites such as Airbnb.

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As of February 2020, 549 unique properties were available on a variety of short-term rental sites, up from around 400 in 2017.

Stewart noted roughly 71 per cent of the listings were for entire homes or apartments, meaning the owner would likely not be there at the same time as a guest.

Many of the listings found by Stewart were available year round, which he said was a further negative impact on the amount of long-term rentals available in Nanaimo.

Changes brought before the committee would limit primary residences to be rented out in the short-term for a maximum of four months per calendar year.

“A homeowner who lives in that house can rent that house on a short-term basis while they’re gone but they would need to live in that house on a primary basis at bare minimum,” Stewart said.

The level of turnover between guests was raised as a major concern in neighbourhoods with a higher concentration of short-rental suites.

“When somebody is there on a (regular) basis, they’re your neighbour and you get to know them. When you have guests leaving on a daily or weekly basis, it does have an impact,” Stewart said.

The city will conduct more consultation with the public and stakeholders before recommendations return to Council at a later date.

Current bylaws limit rentals to rooms only, to allow for bed and breakfast operations.

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley