The rules for booking short-term rental accommodation in Ottawa will change drastically if local politicians follow through on an Airbnb crackdown.
A report before the city’s Community and Protective Services Committee recommends Airbnb rentals be limited to hosts who own primary residences.
Reaction from hosts who have invested in income properties say the new rules are too restrictive.
Airbnb Canada will also make its case before committee today.
“Despite widespread feedback from local residents that Ottawa should ensure there is an opportunity for people to host in their homes and secondary residences, city staff have chosen to move forward with a restrictive set of recommendations that will reduce the amount of accommodations available and place unnecessarily onerous requirements on hosts. These recommendations will only serve to punish the thousands of responsible Ottawa hosts who use Airbnb as a means to support their families and we encourage councillors to listen to the concerns raised by their local community and ask city staff to revise their report,” stated Alexandra Dagg with Airbnb Canada.
Ottawa’s hotel industry has long called for tighter regulations calling short-term rentals a ‘virus’ in the capital.
There's also concern from residents who have complained about loud parties and violent incidents in short-term rentals
One such incident took place in Nepean on Benson Street in which two people suffered injuries in an early morning shooting last month.
There also recommendations calling for a registration system, fines of up to $1000 a day, and more money for bylaw to enforce the new regime.