Airbnb urges Whitehorse operators to speak out against city's proposed regulations
CBC
Airbnb is urging people who list their Whitehorse properties on its site to speak out against the city's proposed regulations for short-term rentals.
Right now, the City of Whitehorse has no regulations for operating short-term rental units in the city. That could change, however, if a rewrite of the city's bylaws is passed.
Under the proposed new regulations, operators in residential zones could only have one short-term rental unit per property, and it must be on the same property that the owner lives on. If the owner is renting out their whole primary residence, they would only be allowed to do that for six months per year. Different regulations would be in place for operators in commercial zones.
Laird Herbert, who owns Black Spruce Cabins in a commercial zone just outside of downtown Whitehorse, says he received an email this month from Airbnb. He advertises his rental cabins on the website.
The email, titled “protect hosting in Whitehorse,” alerted Herbert of the city's proposed regulations, and encouraged him to speak out against the primary-residence requirements in residential zones.
“That’s something that kind of surprised me, actually. They’ve been pretty actively lobbying hosts to speak up against it,” said Herbert.
Herbert's business is in a commercial zone and designated as a motel by the city, so he doesn't expect it will be directly affected by the proposed regulations. But Herbert supports the regulations because he believes it will even the playing field for rental operators in the city.
Herbert describes Airbnb as a "behemoth" that's trying to throw its weight into local politics.
"I think ultimately it should be our decision. And hopefully people don't kind of fall to Airbnb's pressure,” he said.
CBC News contacted Airbnb about the email that Herbert received. The company confirmed that it sent the same email to other Whitehorse operators as well.
“The proposed rules [in Whitehorse] would over-regulate a small but important sector and do more harm than good by removing essential income for locals and shrinking accommodation options for visitors,” company spokesperson Matt McNama wrote.
According to the company, 53 per cent of hosts in Canada rely on earnings from Airbnb to help with rising costs, while 47 per cent say hosting has helped them stay in their homes.
The city says a growing number of short-term rentals in Whitehorse has raised concerns about their potential impact on access to long-term housing.
Kristina Craig, executive director of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, supports the city's proposed regulations. She says the territory is in a housing crisis, and that as of April, the Yukon Housing Corporation's wait list for public-funded housing was at 273 people.
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