Public Turns Out to Hear Next Steps on Short Term Rentals
The Kawartha Lakes Municipal By-law Enforcement and Licensing Office hosted the first of two drop-in Short Term Rental (STR) Public Information Sessions on February 28.
The community was invited to City Hall in Lindsay to see the Short Term Rental survey results, read the new draft By-law, ask questions of Staff and learn the next steps in the process.
“Tuesday’s event was very well attended by the public and City staff; the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors also attended to meet with the public and to generally discuss Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes. All in attendance were very open to general discussion about Short Term Rentals, the industry and what is currently occurring to address issues as well as discussion about the future report to Council. The conversations were well balanced with STR owners and other citizens discussing the information presented by staff,” said Aaron Sloan, Manager of Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing.
The meeting was attended by approximately 100 to 125 people with a mixture of both Short Term Rental owners/operators and residents affected by Short Term Rentals in attendance.
The Short Term Rental survey closed on February 15, 2023 with over 1000 responses.
Below are some of the highlights from the survey results that were shared at the Public Information Session:
68% of survey respondents are supportive of Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes
74% of survey respondents think that Short Term Rentals should be regulated and licensed in Kawartha Lakes
66% of survey respondents agree or somewhat agree that Short Term Rentals bring in Tourism spending
The number one complaint regarding Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes is loud noise/music
The full survey results, draft By-law, display boards and presentation that were shown at the Public Information Session can all be found in the Documents section on the Short Term Rental Jump In project page.
For residents interested in continuing to follow along with the process, the Kawartha Lakes Municipal By-law Enforcement and Licensing Office is hosting a second drop-in Public Information Session in Coboconk on March 6.
Short Term Rentals Public Information Session 2
Date: Monday March 6, 2023
Time: 4pm to 7pm
Location: Community Room, Coboconk Service Centre, 9 Grandy Road, Coboconk ON
The Public Information Sessions offer the community a chance to learn about what options will be presented to Council in April. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and speak to staff regarding Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes at the meeting. If residents would like to speak in front of Council regarding Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes, they are encouraged to follow the process found on the municipality’s Speak Before Council page.
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Definition of Short Term Rental
A Short Term Rental (STR) is defined as a tenancy that is 30 days or less. This could include renting a private room in a home, an entire home, a seasonal property (cottage), temporary residence, lodging or occupancy byway of concession, lease, rental agreement of any other space for 30 days or less. Short Term Rentals do not include established zoning permitted accommodation types such as bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels, trailer parks or campgrounds.
A brief history of STRs in Kawartha Lakes
Our first STR survey was completed in 2018. Council adopted the first option of the Short Term Rentals Follow Up Report which was to continue to monitor STRs and implement several amendments to City by-laws to enable Municipal Law Enforcement to better respond and track issues arising at these properties. Also in 2018, Kawartha Lakes created a service fee targeted at the property owners of STRs for municipal staff response to nuisance complaints such as noise or parking. The fee was increased in 2022. Also in 2022, Council requested that further research be conducted with a focus on licensing STRs. Visit our Short Term Rentals page to learn more.
Next steps
Comments from the Public Information Sessions, along with all other public input will be brought to Council in a report outlining options to regulate and license Short Term Rentals. The report will be presented to Council at the April 4 Committee of the Whole meeting.
