After a lengthy discussion, the Town of Kingsville has officially approved a by-law regulating short-term rentals.
Council met on Monday night and was presented a report of the final draft of the by-law.
As short-term rentals continue to grow in the region, council asked in December 2023 to have administration put together a by-law looking to regulate those rental properties, and a survey was held in the spring of 2024 to hear feedback.
While there are benefits of having these rentals in the community, residents have noted several concerns such as noise, occupancy limits, and health and safety concerns - warranting a need for a by-law.
The by-law now states that occupancy is based on the number of bedrooms, and common areas, limiting capacity to a maximum of 10.
All short-term rentals will be required to have yearly fire inspections, the applicant must submit a criminal record check, and will need to provide a certificate of insurance.
Kimberly DeYong, Kingsville deputy mayor, says a by-law was needed.
"And there's definitely an indication that short-term rentals result in an increased price of housing, an increased price of rentals, and reduce the housing stock that's available for first-time buyers, and for long-term renters. So, there is that recommendation to put in some regulation, and to put in some restrictions."
She says there will be a 24/7 complaints hotline for when Town by-law officers are unavailable.
"Currently the Town does not have by-law enforcement in the evenings unless it's brought in specially, so the hotline will be there for evening times, and by-law will follow up on those complaints if they're not addressed right away by the owners, and then also by-law will be available to answer concerns and complaints during the day. And the clerk will keep these on file."
DeYong says existing short-term rentals right now will be grandfathered into some of the requirements.
"Any new short-term rentals will not be exempt from those, so with that regard it goes into effect now, but it will take I think months probably for staff to get the applications up and going, to get the inspections required, so even though it's actually passed and effective now, ultimately it's going to take time to get it put in place."
There are approximately 182 short-term rentals operating in Kingsville.
After a year, the by-law will be reviewed to see if any changes need to be made.