Kelowna joins cities looking to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb

Kelowna is tackling the regulationof short-term vacation rentalslike Airbnbtoensure fairness for local hotels and a better experience for tourists.

The city says it'sconcerned that, with no regulation, the providers of these short-term rentals have no standard to be held to.

"As soon as you add a business licensing component, that may come with an annual inspection," saidRyanSmith,community planning manager withthe City ofKelowna

"And that's the first step in making sure that visitors to our city can expect a reasonable standard of living when they come, even for a short time."

An initial report to council will besubmitted inupcoming weeksthat will consider options likeenforcement andlicensing, as well as potentially restricting the proximity of one vacation rental to another.

The city says it receives about 30 to 40 complaints per year about short-term rentals most of themnoise and parking-related.

"How do you make sure that it happens in a way that doesn't have a great impact on the neighbourhoods," Smithtold CBC'sOn The Coast.

"There's other issues like making sure the vacation rentals play on the same level playing field as the local hotel operators."

Currently, it's illegal to rent out a house in a residential zone in Kelowna for a period of less than 30 days.In the downtown area, it's legal to do so without a licence.

Taking note of popular strategy

The District of Tofinohas regulations for vacation rentalsthat have been in place for a decade, but have never been firmlyenforced.

Kelowna city staffis taking note of its strategy and hopes to implement a similar licensing protocol.

Tofino MayorJosieOsbornesaysthe district is now cracking downby cross-checking online search results for short-term rentals against the number ofhome owners who havea business licence and proper zoningto operate one.

"We've created a set of regulations that enables people to use part of their property to achieve an income through short-term rentals," said Osborne, adding the strategy isn't likely to address other issues around access to affordable housing.

Aaron Zifkin, country manager ofAirbnb Canada, saysthe company is aware of the challenges citiesface.

He told CBC earlier this year thatAirbnb will work with cities to update their rules to reflect current regulations, while still allowing people to make extra income on their homes.