BACKGROUND
Why are we looking at licensing
The emergence of the sharing economy (vacation rentals, car sharing, ride sharing, etc.), enabled through web technology, has increased the availability of rooms and full houses for rent on a short-term basis. Short-term rentals (STRs) are now available in most cities in the world, including Calgary, resulting in opportunities and challenges for residents and neighborhoods. With the expansion of this sharing economy, citizens and Councillors are looking at what this means for residential neighbourhoods and the responsibilities of homeowners who operate short-term rentals.With this in mind, we are exploring tiered licensing categories for short-term rentals.
The purpose of licensing is to
- Ensure the safety and protection of both consumers and neighbouring residents
- Amending our current bylaws to define a short-term rental licence
- Revise the definition of Lodging house to reflect the current use of this type of accommodation
- Establish expectations for operators to ensure consumer safety and protection
- Create more clarity for existing licenses for accommodation operators such as Bed & Breakfast
Project objectives
- Create a tiered licence category for short-term rentals with input from STR hosts/operators
- Amend the Lodging house licence category in the Business Licence Bylaw
- Launch a public education campaign following approval of the above bylaw amendments to ensure residents and hosts understand their rights and responsibilities
How your input will be used and next steps
Your contributions will be used in the development of the tiered licence categories. Watch this site for the what we heard report and a what we did report in late May.
PAST ENGAGEMENT
Thank you to all who provided feedback. We have reviewed all your comments and input. It is summarized in this What We Heard Report.
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We are in the process of developing the licensing agreements and categories for short-term rentals and want to hear from you on requirements as we work through our recommendations.
What we are proposing | Why? |
---|---|
1. A tiered licence category for short-term rentals (STR). | Short-term
rentals have grown in popularity and now number between 3,300 and 5,800 in The City. Licencing
short-term rentals ensures guests, owners and communities have consistent
standards and safety. |
2. Amendments to the Lodging house definition. | The
Lodging house licence
was created before the development of short-term rentals. With a rapidly changing
accommodations industry, Lodging houses need to be revised to fit within a continuum
of accommodation options for citizens and tourists. |