The Okanagan city is considering following the lead of other tourist towns and regulating the industry, which includes listings on popular sites likeThe municipality says currently some vacation rentals are having an impact on neighbours and there are concerns about the long term rental market.
Under the proposed new regulation, a minor short-term rental licence would be available in any residential area and would allow people to rent out part of their principal residence short-term, but a property host would need to live onsite. The proposed regulation has the support of city councillor Teresa Durning, who believes there needs to be some structure placed on the industry.“In terms of tourism I think it is great and I think it is beneficial, but again we just don’t want everybody with a short-term rental going rogue and doing what they want and allowing havoc in neighbourhoods,” said Durning.Only counting the units listed on Airbnb and VRBO, the municipality says there are 274 short-term rentals in Vernon.
None of the 10 Vernon Airbnb hosts Global News reached out to for reaction made themselves available for an interview by Tuesday’s broadcast deadline.