THE NEWS:
Airbnbs and other short-term rental units will soon fall under more stringent regulations in Halifax. On Tuesday night, in the wake of a crowded public hearing, Halifax councillors voted 13-3 in favour of restricting how short-term rentals—homes, apartments or condos rented for 28 days or less at a time—can operate in the region going forward. Those restrictions feature a range of changes, including these two: In residential areas of the city, only an owner’s primary residence can be rented short-term; and the same parking and bedroom limits currently in effect for regular bed and breakfasts will also apply to short-term rentals. 

The changes are intended, at least in part, to address the region-wide housing crisis and improve “the availability and affordability of long-term rental housing.” And while council’s Tuesday decision is being celebrated by housing advocates, it has also attracted its share of opposition from landlords.

WHAT'S NEXT:
As of September 2023, Halifax homeowners who run Airbnbs, VRBOs and the like will only be able to run those short-term rental units if they meet one of two conditions: Either those homes, units or bedrooms must be in the owner’s primary residence if they’re in a residential area, or the units must be in a commercial zone where hotels already exist. The new rules also mean residential homeowners with backyard and secondary suites won’t be permitted to lease those suites as short-term rentals anymore. Instead, if an owner still wishes to rent out their secondary suite, the unit must be made available as a traditional long-term rental.

Council’s hope with these changes is to free up housing in its supply-starved long-term rental market. The HRM had a 1% vacancy rate in 2022, per the latest CMHC rental report—a figure that ranks among the lowest in Canada. At HRM council’s Dec. 13 meeting, councillor Waye Mason argued there are “hundreds if not thousands” of units that would return to the rental market with tighter short-term rental restrictions. The numbers suggest that’s true: A 2019 McGill report found short-term rentals had taken as many as 740 housing units off the region’s long-term housing market.

Council’s short-term rental changes come into effect on Sept. 1. Regional staff expect that of Halifax’s roughly 2,000 short-term rental listings, about 1,350 will fall under the new residential restrictions.

--

Read more at: https://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/short-term-rental-regulations-halifax-what-you-need-to-know/Content?oid=30322719 - written by Martin Bauman