'Made in Burlington' bylaw for short-term rentals in the works

Owners of short-term property rentals in Burlington could be required to get a licence in the near future, pending the approval of a proposed bylaw. 

Originally brought to committee in late March by Ward 4’s Shawna Stolte, the proposed bylaw was brought to council a few weeks ago, and featured in Ward 6 Councillor Angelo Bentivegna’s newsletter last week. 

“We’ve had a mountain of complaints about some short-term rental accommodations, mostly Airbnb’s,” Ward 1 councillor Kelvin Galbraith said in an interview with BurlingtonToday. “Families might stay for a few months, but these accommodations are being used mostly for weekends, on Friday and Saturday night, as a place to party.”

The proposed bylaw will lead to the development of a community task force that assists in the development of options and recommendations for a "Made in Burlington" short-term accommodation (STA) bylaw, a compliance and licensing regime, as well as identify potential zoning requirements and identify ongoing resource requirements for the 2024-2028 budget forecast. 

Ward 1 resident Chris Regan spoke at the community planning, regulation, and mobility committee meeting on March 28. Regan’s neighbours sold their home and it was turned into a short-term rental soon after. 

“Some of the people who rent the house are great, they stay for a few nights and are very quiet,” Regan said in an interview. “Other times, guests have knocked on our door thinking it was the Airbnb, or gone to our other neighbours as well.” 

Regan adds that package and multiple food deliveries have been mistakenly left on his door as late as 1:15 a.m., embers from bonfires have landed on his porch, and people have peeked through his windows to see if they were at the correct address. 

Regan said his neighbours have had Airbnb guests walk through their front door without knocking, thinking it was where they’d spend the night. 

“The idea that they’re going to require licences will make no difference to the owner of the Airbnb,” Regan said. “He has three or four other properties that he rents from Hamilton to Oakville. He’s not even a resident of Burlington. They’re just going to charge guests more to get their licensing money back.”

Regan, a business owner himself, understands people are entitled to own and operate their own businesses, but says they should still fall within the rules, whether they be stricter zoning laws or requiring proper fire sprinklers or escape routes. He also understands these changes may put more strain on hosts who are using short term rentals to help ends meet during a difficult financial time. 

“It’s frustrating as someone who is just trying to be a good member of the community and earn a wage,” a Burlington Airbnb host who did not want to share their name said in an interview. “A lot of us have been impacted by the state of the economy, people are just looking to make some additional revenue because they can’t afford their homes.”

The unnamed host lives on the same property as their rental, a lot with two separate houses. The host says the money generated from the rental is used to supplement the income from their career.  

“There already are bylaws regarding noise, after hours parking, and bonfires, to protect neighbours,” the host said. “And maybe there should be some more rules, but saying we have to have a licence and play by their rules because of investors who are not managing their second homes properly is only going to further the housing crisis."

The potential changes to Burlington’s Airbnb rules come after Quebec’s proposed changes on short-term accommodation bylaws. In March, fire in Old Montreal killed seven people, six of whom were staying in unlicensed short term accommodation rentals.