Short Term Rentals

Overview of Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) Licensing to Date

In March 2022, the Municipality of Trent Lakes approved a three (3) year phased program to recognize and address the emergence of Short-Term Residential Rental properties. Phase One and Phase Two are now completed and Phase Three – Licensing, is in the proposal stage. The draft Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) Licensing By-Law has been developed to license and regulate short-term rental properties, in order to provide safe accommodation options to support Trent Lakes tourist industry while allowing residents the opportunity to use their properties to earn additional income. Short-term rental regulations assist in responding to health, safety and nuisance concerns related to excessive noise, garbage, parking and security issues, while enabling all property owners to enjoy their properties. The STRA Licensing By-Law is an enhanced tool to address issues that may arise. Over 50 municipalities in Ontario have already implemented Short-Term Rental regulations through licensing by-laws.

A report will be presented to Council in November 2024 which will

list the options available for moving forward.

Short-Term Rental Accommodation Licensing

The Short-Term Rental Accommodation Licensing Draft Program was initiated by the Municipality of Trent Lakes to ensure all rentals function safely and in accordance with the Fire Protection Standards and the Ontario Building Code. Property owners who wish to operate a Short-Term Rental Accommodation for a period of 28 days or less, are required to obtain a license from the Municipality.

Licensing Process

A Draft Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) Self-Certification Checklist is currently one of the options that could assist property owners in determining whether their properties comply. You can view the draft checklist here.

New and Renewal Application Requirements

Property owners are required to provide the following information for a new application:

Proof of ownership
Property information
Contact information
Certificate of Insurance (highlighting rental clause within policy)
Site drawings including floor plans, site plan drawing
Self-certification checklist
$1,000 application fee

Property owners will be required to provide the following information for yearly license renewals:

Proof of ownership
STRA license number
Contact information
Certificate of insurance (with rental clause highlighted)
Number of bedrooms and occupants
Self-certification check list
$500 renewal fee
No site inspections for years 2 and 3

On the 4th year, the application for Short-Term Rental Accommodation License will be considered a new application including $1,000 application fee and site inspection required.

License Review/Issuance

Once the application is submitted, staff will review the information provided to ensure compliance. Should the application be missing information or not conform to a regulation or by-law, the applicant will be advised via email. Applicants will be given an opportunity to update the application or provide any missing documentation and resubmit.

If the application is found to be in compliance, the applicant will be advised, a license will be issued and subsequently a mutually agreed upon date will be scheduled for an on-site visit.

If a license must be denied, the applicant will also be advised, with the reasons for denial.

Site Inspection

Upon the approval of the application and issuance of a License, staff will attend the site on a date mutually agreed upon with the owner to verify conformity with the submitted documents.

Items that will be verified during the site inspection include:

Number of bedrooms
Fire safety equipment and exits
Parking location
Septic system location
Structural elements of decks, balconies including guards and stairs
No exposed spray foam or exposed wires and cover plates over all switches and outlet boxes

A Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) Self-Certification Checklist will be provided to assist property owners in determining whether their properties comply. You can view the draft checklist here.

Enforcement

The terms of the By-Law will be enforced through staff and contracted services. The Short-Term Rental Accommodation Licensing By-Law will be administered through the AMPS By-Law and Penalty Notices and Orders may be applied to violations of the By-Law. Any violations may result in a Penalty Notice, an Order, Demerit Points.

Order

At the discretion of an Enforcement Officer an Order may be issued. An Order generally identifies the violation and a requirement to rectify said violation within a specified time frame.

Penalty
Means a monetary penalty set out in the AMPS By-Law Schedules for a contravention of a designated by-law.

Demerit points system
Refers to points assigned for various violations of this by-law and are applied to a Short-Term Rental property upon determination of an alleged violation.

These points will be tracked and kept on file to ensure compliance with the by-law. A Short-Term Rental Accommodation License may be suspended, revoked or re-instated based on the status of the demerit points applied against the property. A total of 4 demerit points will result in a License being suspended or revoked. The demerit point(s) will remain with a property for one (1) year from the date of which the contravention has been resolved.

The property owner will be notified in writing when the number of demerit points respecting a property changes. Demerit points are not appealable.

Appeal Process

Where the municipality has denied a license, a renewal of a license, or has suspended or revoked a license, the owner will be notified; setting forth the reasoning for the decision, with information provided regarding the right to appeal to the Appeals Committee.

The Property owner will have 14 days from the issuance of the decision to file an appeal.

An Appeals Committee hearing will be scheduled providing the opportunity for the property owner/licensee, staff and the public to speak to the matter.

The Appeals Committee hearing is a public process and notification of the hearing will be circulated to all property owners within 120 m of the subject property.

All decisions of the Appeals Committee shall be final.

Written notice shall be provided to the property owner/licensee within 14 days of the Committee’s decision.

Input Requested on Draft By-Law

The Short Term Rental Working Group have created a draft by-law. The by-law was brought to Council on April 16, 2024. Council received the by-law and has requested final public input.

The entire draft by-law can be read here.

FORM NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.

Special Council Meetings

There were two Special Council Meetings held to provide an informative presentation on the STRA program, followed by delegations by the public.

Meeting 1:
Saturday, June 8, 2024, 10 a.m. - 12noon.
View the minutes here.
View the recording here.

Meeting 2:
Thursday, June 27, 2024, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
View the minutes here.
View the recording here.

The meetings took place at the Municipal office in the Council Chambers as well as virtually.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problem are we trying to solve with this STRA by-law?

More effectively deal with the issues and complaints related to STRAs, while allowing residents to rent out their properties for extra income.
Ensure the safety and health of visitors to Trent Lakes who stay at STRAs.

Why do we need a new by-law when we already have by-laws for noise, fireworks, animals, parking, etc.?

Hold the STRA owner accountable.
Have a mechanism to deal with repeat offenders.
Dissuade corporate STRA operators from doing business in Trent Lakes.
A new by-law was required so as to align with the STRA program.

Why is there not an exemption for people who only rent their properties out for a few weeks a year?

Difficult to factually identify these properties.
Many other municipalities looked at this and decided the complexity (discrimination, loopholes, proper identification, etc.) outweighed the benefits. No municipality has this exemption.
The by-law still allows anyone to rent out their property in accordance with the by-law.

How did we arrive at the fee amounts?

Benchmarked over 50 other municipalities.
Fees planned to be cost recovery and pay for the STRA program administration.

Why must there be an onsite inspection?

To ensure that the premises does not contain and Health and Safety risks to the occupants of the buildings.
To ensure that the environment and the local lakes are protected through ensuring the septic system is sized appropriately for the usage.

A Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) Self-Certification Checklist will be provided to assist property owners in determining whether their properties comply. You can view the draft checklist here.

Why are there restrictions on the numbers of occupants?

To ensure the capacity of the septic is not exceeded.
To minimize the disturbance in the neighborhood.

Why must there be a contact person who can attend the site within 90 minutes?

In the event of a complaint that must be dealt with quickly.
In the event that the occupants require assistance with a problem on the property.

Who will be responsible for complaints?

There will continue to be the 24/7 complaint hotline 1-800-374-4009 extension 311.
During office hours, staff will take complaints 1-705-738-3800.
Life threatening complaints should always be routed to 911.

Who will be responsible for enforcement?

During office hours, a staff bylaw officer.
After hours, a contracted service will be responsible.
Enforcement is overseen by the CBO/Building Manager.