City Council has approved a new bylaw aimed at regulating short-term rental properties in Windsor, including Airbnb's.
To secure a licence, applicants must now prove the dwelling unit is their primary residence.
The move is designed not just to regulate and improve standards and safety, but also potentially increase available housing by requiring proof that any short-term rental property is not just an investment property.
Fabio Costante, Ward 2 City Councillor, says it adds a layer of accountability and will create a registry to understand the size of the short-term rental market in Windsor.
"It also allows for our bylaw officers to do more proactive enforcement, if they deem necessary, to ensure the units are up to building and fire code," he says.
Costante also notes that we're in a housing crunch.
"Allowing short-term rentals to be in our community as investment opportunities and not having to be primary residences is going to further exacerbate that problem," he says.
Rino Bortolin, Ward 3 City Councillor, calls the move to tie the bylaw to owner-occupied residences important, given that Airbnb reported 500 registered listings in Windsor.
"I think they mentioned that something like 60 per cent are not owner-occupied, that's 300 more units that's could potentially become available for people looking for housing in this community," he says.
According to a report from administration, a Windsor host on Airbnb rented out their home an average of 88 nights a year.
Bortolin points out that means most of these units are left vacant for over 250 nights a year when we have such a huge need for housing.
The report also stated that Airbnb registered a total of over 30,000 guests visiting Windsor in 2019, with short term rental guests mostly from within Ontario.
As part of the new bylaw, if the unit is rented or part of a multiunit building, the applicant must also show authorization of the registered property owner or condominium corporation to offer the dwelling unit as an STR.