City of Kitchener exploring options to regulate short-term rentals

The City of Kitchener is exploring its options for regulating short-term rentals.

Also known as vacation rentals, short-term rentals are properties listed on sites like Airbnb and VRBO for rental period of less than 28 days . According to the municipality, there are currently around 800 active short-term rental listings in Kitchener on those sites.

Those listings are mostly unregulated, but city staff could start requiring those who post short-term rentals to obtain a licence by drafting a new bylaw.

The city is hosting a pair of public information sessions in November to inform the public and let them have their say.

Short-term rentals have been regulated in other provinces, like British Columbia, where in some cities a licence is required.

In that province, those operating a short-term rental without a licence can be fined up to $50,000.

The provincial government in British Columbia did this to help the suffering rental market and aid in the ongoing housing crisis, returning short-term rentals to the long-term rental market.

Public info sessions will be held on Nov. 18 and Nov. 27.

Visit kitchener.ca for more information and to register for the public information sessions.