Short term rentals up by 50 so far this year in Lake of Bays
Lake of Bays Council was advised that the Township has had an increase of 50 short term rentals (STRs), in the August 13, 2024, meeting.
Director of Building/By-law Services, Stephen Watson, provided Council with an update for this year’s second quarter, including those listed and any issues they’re facing.
He indicated they received 22 applications during this quarter, for a total of 253 from the 333 STRs that exist in the Township. He said, “Last Year at this time there were approximately 280 STRs.”
He added that 80 STRs are not registered, and so far, staff have issued 4 Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) penalties for violations, for a total of $6,000 in penalties for advertising or operating an STR without a licence. He explained that 80 haven’t been issued for those not registered “because some are duplicates.”
According to Watson, AMPS has proven helpful for enforcing STR regulations. He said, “We want compliance with our By-laws.” He added, “I think it does help with compliance when it comes to the STR By-law. It will take a year or so to see how well it is working.”
Last May, Council agreed to crack down with the AMPS system. In that meeting Watson indicated that it now includes doubling fines for instances where people aren’t compliant with the Township’s By-laws, and those fines doubling with repeat offences, and eventually being taken to court.
For example, Watson explained that depending on the violation a $200 fine for a first By-law offence can result in $500 for a second, $1000 for a third, and being taken to court for as much as $10,000 for a fourth offence.
In today’s meeting regarding STRs he said, “It’s cheaper to get a licence then to pay the AMPS penalty.”
Mayor, Terry Glover, inquired about complaints and whether things were improving in this area.
Watson replied that noise complaints have decreased, and that the Township hasn’t received any this quarter. However, they received one for garbage that was dealt with.
Tracking STR listings with a third-party company, Granicus, is the primary tool the Township uses to enforce By-laws. Watson explained that the company tracks listings on AIR BNB, VRBO, and over 30 sites overall, excluding Facebook, for ads for STRs in the Township that haven’t been licenced.
When asked why they don’t track STRs from Facebook, Watson said, “I can not speak for Granicus but for the Township it is a matter of time. Staff have a full complement of work, and it takes a lot of time to continually monitor Facebook. If you know of an ad on Facebook, you can bring it to our attention.”
The Township has a page on their website for reporting unlicensed STRs. Watson advised, “If a person is concerned enough about someone having an unlicensed STR they need to submit a Request for Service, contact Granicus, send an email with a link to the ad.”
For people concerned about their anonymity, Watson indicated that names aren’t provided to the public or Council, however, staff need them in case they have follow up questions for clarification or as part of evidence that “helps with the issue” when entering property or in court.
He said, “Staff are not entering onto private property without cause or a good reason.”
He added, “If we at the time can find the information we need, we no longer need to contact the complainant.”
Councillor, Rick Brooks, indicated that there were positive comments expressed about the website and the impact it’s had. He said, “People can see what’s there and alert staff regarding issues gone under the radar.”
