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The city\u2019s community and protective services committee held a special meeting Nov. 15 in Andrew S. Haydon Hall. The committee held a public hearing so they could decide whether to endorse new regulations to short-term rentals. Photo by Samantha Campling.<\/p>\n
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Proposed regulations on short-term rentals could negatively affect Ottawa citizens who rely on Airbnb for their income.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cI employ 30 people. These are the people that will lose jobs if these regulations are passed today,\u201d Genevieve Walton, founder of Short and Suite BNB told about 100 people gathered at the Andrew S. Haydon Hall in downtown Ottawa Friday morning.<\/p>\n
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The city\u2019s community and protective services committee was weighing staff recommendations on new regulations for short-term rental properties. The new recommended rules would address the issue of \u201cghost-hotels\u201d and \u201cparty houses\u201d in Airbnb rental properties across the city.<\/p>\n
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The proposal, if forwarded to \u2013 and accepted by \u2013 City Council would prohibit any rentals of investment properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Short and Suite is an Airbnb management company. They \u201cmanage, market, and maintain properties\u201d for home or building owners using Airbnb to rent their properties, according to their website.<\/p>\n
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Walton told the committee that her company employs many immigrants and single mothers who need to work around their children\u2019s schedules.<\/p>\n
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George Mota is a landlord and long-time resident of Orleans who said he doesn\u2019t believe adding regulations will improve the outlook for short-term rentals in the city.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis regulation would reduce tourism to the area,\u201d he said, adding many people don\u2019t want to stay in someone\u2019s home while the homeowners are there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The new regulations would restrict Airbnb hosts to renting out their primary residences only.<\/p>\n
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Donna Wishart, an Airbnb host in the Glebe and 35-year resident of Ottawa, said she is also concerned with the proposal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cRight now, I have a couple with a two-year old and an infant staying in my property because their house is being renovated after a sewage issue,\u201d Wishart said. \u201cThere are no hotels near their house in the Glebe to accommodate them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0She said she mostly hosts visiting parents of Carleton University students and local citizens who need a place to stay while their houses are being renovated.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI screen every renter effectively to ensure there are no parties, as do many other hosts I know,\u201d Wishart said. \u201cI love my neighbours and I love my property so I can\u2019t risk it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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While Walton and Wishart both said they opposed limiting short-term rentals to primary residences, they said they agreed with staff recommendations to create an online permit system to keep track of all the Airbnb hosts and properties in the city.<\/p>\n
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The proposed permit fee would be $100 every two years and could be revoked if the permit holder had unpaid fees or penalties, or if there is criminal activity, serious incidents impacting public health and safety, or a property is allowed to be used as a \u201cparty house.\u201d<\/p>\n
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