Edmonton councillor wants city to limit short-term rentals
CBC
British Columbia introduced new legislation this week to curtail the use of short-term rentals and one Edmonton councillor thinks the city should consider introducing similar rules.
The legislation would force those who offer short-term accommodation, like Airbnbs, to actually live on the property, said B.C. Premier David Eby on Monday.
In Edmonton, Ward papastew Coun. Michael Janz wants the city to have its own rules to limit Airbnbs.
He proposes that council forbids using the whole property, such as a house or an apartment, as a short-term rental, and only allow those who live on the property to rent it out short term, like B.C. has done.
In addition, Janz proposes the city put a 90-day cap on short-term rentals. This would restore the original idea behind short-term rentals, he said in an interview, where people who went on vacation, for example, could rent out their homes while they were away.
Janz said that short-term rentals exacerbate the housing crisis.
"There's been research that shows that short-term rentals actually raise the rent for everyone else. So, while one person profits, everyone else has to pay higher rents," he said.
Short-term rentals tend to operate as hotels, Janz said, while paying only residential taxes.
"It's a major issue in my ward," Janz said.
The Edmonton hotel industry supports Janz's proposals.
In a statement, the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association said it has been "consistently urging the City of Edmonton to create a regulatory framework that safeguards residents' interests and ensures a fair marketplace for all accommodation providers."
The association contends that platforms like Airbnb and VRBO have been distorted by speculators who removed single-family houses and condominiums from long-term housing stock, using them as "ghost hotels."
Ghost hotels are very much present in Canada, said AHLA's president & CEO Tracy Douglas-Blowers.
When a new condominium building gets constructed, she said, "speculators are buying those units, and they are renting out the rooms individually on a nightly basis."