Short Term Rental (STR) Licensing

What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?

In the Draft By-law, "Short-Term Rental" means a structure or part thereof which is used for temporary lodging for a rental period of 28 consecutive days or less in exchange for payment and includes a bed and breakfast, hotel, motel, and inn, but does not include short-term accommodations where there is no payment.

Why is Council considering licensing Short-Term Rentals?

We recognize that STRs provide a valuable service to our community by providing additional accommodation options to visitors attending community events, visiting families, or simply enjoying the environment. STRs are also a good way for residents to bring in extra income.

That said, some residents have voiced concerns about increased noise, parking, safety concerns, and other frustrations related to short-term rentals in their neighbourhood and a lack of response from absent property owners.

Several municipalities have taken various approaches to regulating STRs, often adopting by-laws to license and regulate STRs based on local needs and issues.

Those with a regulatory approach have been able to respond to resident issues. Where available housing for long-term residents or unfair competition with traditional accommodation has been a concern, the regulatory approach has been used to address these concerns.

The Town launched a survey in January 2024 to obtain public input on whether or not there was an appetite to license and regulate the short-term rental market in Kingsville. Administration presented the survey results at a Committee of the Whole Meeting in May, and the Committee provided direction to Administration for certain inclusions in the Draft By-law.

We recommend you also review the presentation slides from our September 24, 2024, Public Information Meeting to gain insight into the main highlights of the proposed By-law. Watch the recording of the September 24, 2024, Public Information Meeting.

What are the next steps?

Based on the public consultation conducted on the ORIGINAL Draft By-law, Administration incorporated the following amendments in the REVISED Draft By-law 82-2024:

• Clarified definition of “Agent”
• Removed requirement that the Town be named as additional insured on requisite policies
• Amended the Maximum Occupancy to be calculated as 2 people per bedroom, plus an additional 2 people
• Amended the fee structure and parking requirements based on the new calculation of Maximum Occupants
• Clarified response time of Agents and removed specific times for phone calls – Agents must be able to attend the property within 60 minutes
• Removed the prohibition that only allows sleeping in designated bedrooms

The REVISED Draft By-law 82-2024 will be presented at the Monday, November 4, 2024 Regular Meeting of Council, if you would like to comment on the Draft By-law, as recommended, please email council@kingsville.ca or request to delegate.