The City of Kelowna will open the Airbnb-style license application process for short-term rentals on April 23.
Unlicensed operators will be fined after July 1st.
“The city is actively committed to ensuring that operators of short-term rentals comply with the rules and regulations,” says Kelowna’s Guide to Short-Term Rentals.
“Operators can expect fines of up to $ 500 per day per crime, and significantly higher amounts if compliance efforts escalate.”
Kelowna City Council created the new statutes to protect long-term rentals in the city of Okanagan.
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According to the city, there were 1,979 unique short-term rental listings in 2018, up 69 percent from the previous year.
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The vacancy rate in Kelowna should be around one percent.
Many homeowners have stated that they run an Airbnb to increase the cost of owning a home in Kelowna, where the average price for a single family home is $ 648,000.
The council voted in favor of the regulations despite a public hearing on March 12th at which most residents spoke out against the proposed statutes.
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Kelowna City Council votes to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb
Under the new statute, homeowners or principal residents can legally rent primary residences for a period of 29 days or less if they are licensed under the new statute.
The operator’s business license number must appear on all advertisements for the rental and the license must be displayed in the rental unit.
An annual license costs $ 345 for a primary residence.
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Some Kelowna buildings that have been zoned for short-term rental remain unchanged, but operators must be licensed.
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“Renting a non-primary residence is permitted in selected commercial and tourist areas,” said the city.
“In this case, the short-term landlord may not be a business or corporation.”
The non-primary residence rate applies in these tourist areas and costs $ 750.
The city has yet to issue statutes for carriage houses and secondary suites and is considering creating separate statutes for them later this spring.
Requirements for applying for a license are:
- Business license
- Fire safety and security form
- Form for an agreement with good neighbors
- Declaration of consent from the owner
- Consent for shifts
The application requires documents, including a government-issued ID card, showing the operator’s primary residence.
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The extensive fire protection requirements include:
- Provide contact information for someone who can respond to incidents 24/7
- Establish a fire and safety evacuation plan in sleeping units and at exits
- Install working, connected smoke detectors on every floor and in every sleeping unit.
- Install an accessible, working fire extinguisher on each floor
- If your property has gas appliances, make sure there is a working carbon monoxide detector on every floor
- Test all smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide alarms annually and keep them in working order
Parking requirements are also enforced.
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City of Kelowna / Global Okanagan
City of Kelowna / Global Okanagan.
City of Kelowna / Global Okanagan
The rules also govern how many people can sleep in each available room.
City of Kelowna / Global Okanagan.
City of Kelowna / Global Okanagan
Application forms can be printed out from the Kelowna City website linked here.
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