ICYMI: Airbnb hosts in Centre Wellington may have to live within 1 km of unit

This article was previously published on EloraFergusToday.

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Living near the unit, licensing fees, and a point rating system are among the suggestions in a new draft bylaw report governing Airbnbs in Centre Wellington.

Some of these recommended rules may not end up applying to existing short term rentals (STR).

This is according to a draft bylaw report to be discussed at Monday’s Centre Wellington council meeting that gives a first look into how the township might regulate STRs. If passed, the recommendations do not set it in stone but directs staff to post the document online for feedback and have the consultant prepare an official bylaw.

The report by Maclaren Municipal Consulting outlines the process used to develop the STR regulations which included a survey, public consultation at various events and workshops with stakeholders.

A proposed licensing system would cost $225 for a single room or up to $800 for a whole unit, covering a three-year period. Owners would be required to make multiple submissions with the township including site plan, floor plan, insurance and guest code of conduct along with being subject to an inspection by the fire department, bylaw services and the building inspector. 

To address common resident concerns with STRs such as noise, parking and litter, the report recommends a point rating system that can result in a license being suspended or revoked. It suggests points for each ticket and conviction with four tickets or three convictions in a year resulting in the loss of the license. Points would be divided by two after one year and eliminated after two. 

Another way to address concerns, the report suggested, is to have the licensee be on site or nearby within 1,000 metres of the property so they can be responsive to issues at the unit if required. 

This combined with a requirement for new STRs outside a designated heritage overlay area to be at least 100 metres apart is noted as a possible way to limit the number of STRs in the township. STRs outside the heritage overlay zones would also be required to have one parking space per room.

The report noted there are roughly 150 to 200 STRs in Centre Wellington, with a majority in Downtown Elora and Fergus, to meet the need for tourism and other STR needs and therefore it recommended offering licensing to these existing ones first and have “some of the requirements be waived to allow for the existing STRs to be licensed and regulated.”

“They would still need to have the safety inspections and to manage their units properly or lose their licenses after a number of violations,” the report said. “If a sale of property is not accompanied with a transfer of the license, the property would lose any rights as an existing STR.”

This report will be discussed at a council meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday.