'I'm not an Airbnb': North York residents tired of their homes being mistaken for rental property

Home on Byng Avenue is listed as a 15-room guesthouse on rental sites like Airbnb and Booking.com

Cbc.ca
August 9, 2019
Jessica Cheung

Dallas Burns was awoken Tuesday night to banging on his door by people who thought his house was an Airbnb.

The strangers were mistaking his home, on a quiet street in North York, for the one a few doors down, which is being used as a short-term rental guesthouse.

"I'm not an Airbnb. Please go away," he says he told them.

Burns isn't alone.

Residents on Byng Avenue say they're tired of strangers turning up at their doors mistaking them for a nearby property listed on AirBnb as well as on Booking.com. The home is being advertised as a 15-room guesthouse and lists for as low as $50 per night.

"I'm fed up," Burns told CBC News. "People have knocked on my door, rang my doorbell in the middle of the night saying, 'We're here for a room.' And I say 'I'm sorry, you got the wrong house.'"

On Tuesday, Burns was especially afraid because he says some guests nearly smashed down his door trying to get into what they thought was their rented house.

"I was petrified," he said.

Burns called Toronto Police that night around 10 p.m. Police say they told the guests they were at the wrong home and cautioned them to get off of Burns's property, but didn't make any arrests.

It's not the first time the police have been involved.

Matthew Poon has been living in and around the area for over 40 years, 20 in this particular neighbourhood, and he has also called the police for similar incidents.

He even puts up a sign up reading, "Not Airbnb. Please don't disturb us. Thank you!" to prevent strangers from knocking on his door.

"This is not the type of land-use [we expected] when we first moved in," he said. "This is a single family home, a residential area."

'That's really dangerous'

Ward 23 Councillor John Filion acknowledges it's a frustrating situation for residents, but also says it's a safety concern for those renting the 15-room home.

"That's really dangerous for the people who are staying there," said Filion.

"I can't imagine that that isn't breaking multiple portions of the fire code."

The city's Municipal Licensing and Standards is currently conducting an investigation of the property and says it cannot yet confirm if any bylaw violations have been made.

CBC reached out to the owner of the property by phone and email, and did not receive a response.

The City of Toronto approved a set of rules for short-term rentals last year, placing limits on who can operate a short-term rental, for how long and requiring those who want to rent out their homes to register with the city.

The bylaws were challenged and are currently under review by the provincial Local Planning Appeal Tribunal -- formerly known as the Ontario Municipal Board.

Filion says the city is frustrated because they're not able to put these much needed bylaws into full effect.

"We did the right thing. We passed the regulations, we protected the public and then, the provincial government puts this body in place that can review city's bylaws and decide whether they're approved or not."

In a statement Booking.com said, "The listing has been temporarily shut down and we have requested documentation from the partner that the property is compliant with all local laws -- fire code, zoning, etc."

Airbnb spokesperson Lindsey Scully said they have suspended the listing while they investigate.

But for residents like Burns, change can't come soon enough.

"I want this city to enact the bylaw," Burns said.