Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors are being asked to consider bylaw amendments to deal with the increasing number of homes being used as short-term vacation rentals.
Several other municipalities in B.C., including Vancouver, have decided to pursue new bylaws to regulate Airbnb-style rentals.
The recommendations coming to the SCRD are in a staff report that was scheduled for discussion at the Feb. 9 meeting of the planning and community development committee.
According to the report, Sunshine Coast Tourism estimates there are about 100 traditional B&Bs operating on the Coast. When SCRD staff searched listings at VRBO, Airbnb and two other online booking sites, they found more than 1,200 vacancies for the Feb. 24 to 28 period. That number could include duplicate listings or B&Bs that already meet zoning bylaws.
The planning department report also says the number of bylaw complaints linked to short-term vacation rentals spiked last year. There were just seven from 2013 to 2015, and 15 in 2016. The numbers don’t include noise complaints made to police but not reported to the SCRD.
The concern that prompted directors to ask for a report to follow up on work done back in 2012 was the potential impact on affordable housing and the rental stock in the region.
“It is not known what the actual impact is and information is not available to quantify this. However, an impact appears evident based on information from other jurisdictions, such as the City of Vancouver, and the press,” the report says.
The action being suggested by SCRD staff is to change the definition of “dwelling” and add a definition for short-term vacation rentals in the existing zoning bylaws to make it clear that dwellings are “not permitted to be used” as short-term vacation rentals.
Bylaw 301, the zoning rules for Areas B, D, E and F, allows for B&Bs with restrictions that define a B&B as a business run by the principal resident of a home as “a transient accommodation business that provides overnight accommodation to travellers for a length of stay of three consecutive months or less in any calendar year and provides at least breakfast to those being accommodated.”
B&Bs are also limited to two bedrooms with a total floor area of no more than 28 square metres (301 square feet).
Bylaw 337, which covers Area A, also allows for larger B&B Inns with up to five bedrooms accommodating as many as 10 guests.
The report recommends increasing penalties under the ticketing and Bylaw Enforcement Notification (BEN) bylaws “from $100 to $500 to reflect the concerns (noise and impact on rental housing stock).”
If the committee agrees with the report’s proposal, the bylaw amendments could be ready for adoption as early as July, unless directors opt for a public engagement “to gather community support and assist in identifying a preferred option,” which would extend the timeline.
