How you do feel about Short Term Rentals in the Regional District of the East Kootenay’s? The RDEK needs to hear from you!
The RDEK is working on a planning process to determine best management options to address short term rental accommodations (STRs). Hearing from residents and property owners is a key part of the process.
Over the last few years, the RDEK has heard an increase in public concern regarding STRs. STRs refers to the accommodation of paying guests in an entire single family dwelling, room(s) within a single family dwelling, secondary suite, apartment or condo for less than 30 days.
The RDEK Board has recognized that pursuing management options of STRs is desirable and as a result public consultation, issue identification and management options for STRs was identified as a 2021 strategic priority. The goal of this Short Term Rentals Project and resulting planning process is to determine best management options to address STRs.
Clearly identifying and prioritizing goals is fundamental to the successful outcome of this planning process. Public consultation will be extremely important as every community within the RDEK will have its own unique context and motivations for potentially regulating STRs. The planning process will take into consideration public feedback as well as STR operators, stakeholders and tourism industry interests. Discussions with the public as well as tourism agencies and local businesses with be important in an attempt to balance the residential nature of communities with tourism opportunities.
STRs are not new. People have been renting their homes, cottages or cabins for decades, what is new is the online platforms such as AirBnB, VRBO, HouseFlip, TripAdvisor and others which create dedicated websites to automate and advertise these rental properties. This has caused a shift from “home-sharing” to commercial operations and as a result neighborhoods have seen benefits as well as concerns related to STRs.
If the decision is made to regulate short term rentals, it is recognized that if a regulation cannot be enforced in a clear, cost-effective, practical manner the regulation should not be considered.
