Airbnb fans, detractors meet to discuss potential regulation in Toronto
The second public meeting on short-term rentals comes mount over housing availability and affordability.

TheStar.com
April 12, 2017
Betsy Powell

Fans of Airbnb — and its detractors — packed a committee room at Toronto City Hall on Wednesday night to meet with city staff who are developing regulations on short-term rentals in Toronto.

The second public meeting comes as political leaders are voicing concerns daily about housing availability and affordability. Some blame the emergence of Airbnb and other online platforms for removing units from the permanent rental market.

Carleton Grant, director of policy and strategic support in the city’s licensing division, told the crowd Wednesday evening that the issue is “very diverse, challenging (and) complex.”

In January 2016, council asked staff to research and develop potential regulations for short-term rentals, he explained. “The very key word there is potential regulations,” he said. “They’re not saying come back with rules but they’re saying come back with potentially what rules could look like, some options for consideration.”

Grant also shared data from Airbnb, the king of the short-term online rental platforms. According to Airbnb statistics, there were more than 16,000 Toronto listings on Airbnb in 2016. Ninety seven per cent of the bookings were for a stay that lasted less than 30 days.

Twenty-four per cent of these short-term rentals took place in a house while 69 per cent occurred in condominiums and apartment buildings, Grant said. Concerns have been raised about safety and nuisance issues, such as noise, and increased traffic in highrise corridors.

Participants were shown a map of Airbnb listings in Toronto, with the highest concentration in the downtown core and along the Yonge Street spine toward North York.

After Grant’s presentation, the crowd broke into groups with staff members. Airbnb hosts, many wearing grey T-shirts with the company’s logo, a heart, and T.O. on the front, shared stories about how renting their homes on the platform had enriched their lives and helped pay the bills.

Others were less glowing.

“We have a big problem because the owner is renting it out to someone not knowing that tenant, or some tenant, or short-term rental company is stepping in without the owner’s knowledge,” a real estate agent who sells condominiums told one group.

Currently, some residents can rent rooms to tourists in certain areas of Toronto, Grant said. The city does not currently issue permits or licences for short-term rentals nor does it issue permits to hotels, motels or bed and breakfasts.

Staff is looking at a variety of areas including zoning, licensing and the impact of short-term rentals on affordability and availability on housing.

There was a public consultation in North York in March and five private stakeholder meetings and the city is asking for input in on online survey. Staff will present the proposed regulations to Mayor John Tory’s executive committee on June 19.

Grant promised the crowd the report will be made public seven days before the meeting to allow for additional feedback.