Short-Term Accommodations By-law Community Consultation

I feel AB&B's and any STA should need to be fully inspected by building code bylaw officers and brought to code, prior to being granted a license. They should be inspected inside & out, by Fire Officials and all regulations posted where guests can see them. These inspections would need to be ongoing if a license to operate is granted, to insure ongoing compliance.
Noise should not be heard by neighbours before 8:30am or after 9 pm. as these places rent 7 days a week and sometimes much of the year, impacting full-time neighbours. The impact to wildlife is also a concern with many renters from other regions or recent immigrants who do not understand what species can be fished or hunted when, & to what extent. I see protected species (turtles, frogs, eels etc..) being harvested & over limit catches, night fishing with no boat lights etc...shooting from boats with motors running, leaving of dead or wounded ducks in water and feeding wildlife for good photo opp's. Our MNR officers are few, so all applicable regulations for fishing & hunting should be clearly posted at each rental. Speeding, increased animal fatalities and littering seem to have increased in our area, changing it for the worse.
All burning regulations should be clearly posted and probably stricter for renters with no onsite owner present. Neighbours should not have to be constantly worried about or reporting unsafe practices and frequent partying next to their property line.
Also, limiting the amount of guests to 5 or 6 per STA , might help to minimize disruption to neighbouring residence's who lived there before the STA ever was. Limiting the number of STA's on any one Street or area is only fair for those of us who live and work here full-time and also for owners of cottages who enjoy some peace and relaxation while vacationing. When owners of STA's live in different cities and are renting to large numbers 10 - 15 people in one house, with no supervision I see problems. I live near some of these places and the small scale with owner on site, or proper on-site cottage rental & trailer parks, try to comply with laws & are of less concern.
Finally the problematic STA's with no owners on site, do have a negative affect on our lack of housing and full-time rental issue's. With our close proximity to Picton, some of our STA's (especially those with waterfront) are very expensive to rent. Like PEC we could and seemingly are becoming a less affordable area to live in. What big city investors and professional rental companies benefit from, will cost our long term citizens and take business away from our original licensed trailer/cottage parks and hotels.
Shelly H.

I am opposed to the idea and much more in favour of hotels and motels in the town proper where there appears to be a large number of accommodations available. There may be room for this type of rental in more rural communities where such accomodation does not exist.

I am very concerned as are many of my neighbours about short-term rentals in our community. Of particular concern are those properties that are owned by non-residents who run them as commercial businesses.

There is one such short-term rental on our street. There appears to be no owner oversight when renters are there and the house is regularly rented to large groups.

While some of the groups are respectful of local residents, many are not. Frequently, parties go on late into the night and the continuous noise and frantic activity compromise the peace and sense of security of the neighbourhood.

While I appreciate that licencing is a potential tool, I don't believe it will address the many
issues associated with short-term rentals. Residents should not be put in the position of having to monitor or police short term rentals for absentee owners.

I urge Council to consider doing what other communities such as Seguin, Oro-Medonte, and Wasaga have done to curb short-term rentals; where such properties are identified as commercial operations that require appropriate zoning outside of residential areas.

In addition there are recent studies that suggest that the presence of short-term rentals reduces the ability of families to purchase homes and exacerbates the existing housing shortage.

It is questionable what benefit (if any) these businesses bring to our community but it is certain that neighbourhoods will pay a high price for their presence. I hope that Council will act decisively to curb these rentals before the situation deteriorates further.

Thank you for considering these issues.

Thank you for considering comments and concerns about short-term accommodations in GN. The by-law should address the following issues:
- dogs running loose on to adjacent properties
- people trespassing on other cottager's property
- inadequate septic system capacity for properties that are old and renting to more people than the system was designed for
- junk on property, including extra "living" accommodations like travel trailers, derelict boats, trailers etc and surplus building materials
-bonfires at inappropriate times ie not when the Fire Department allows them
- noise

In considering whether napanee region should have such a bylaw please weigh the need for a bylaw against real threats from short term rentals. Concerns about rental impacts in napanee are different from urban areas or tourism hotspots like PEC. Any bylaw introduced will have a chilling effect on those who may otherwise engage with a short term rental service. The need for the bylaw must be proven and outweigh this negative impact.

Short term rental services can increase tourism, enable supplemental income streams for property owners and provide accommodations where existing facilities are inadequate. In addition to popular services like Airbnb there are others that cater to RV traveller's, cyclists and backpackers who are looking for alternatives to commercial hospitality. These services and group are a growing market that offers new business to the region. Please consider these impacts carefully if such a bylaw is crafted.

STA's are a great way for people to make a little extra money during these difficult times. If it is a personal property then renting out a room, a cottage or out building on their property shouldn't be an issue. Renting out a room in an apartment should be up to a landlord's judgment. However; prices should also reflect the area. STA's don't always offer the same amenities as hotels in the area so that should be reflected in the price of the place being rented. Properties that have STA's available should meet basic health and safety protocols such as CO2 alarms, smoke detectors ect. Residents should abide by local bylaws and also rules set in place by a host. STA's bring in tourists to the area who in turn spend their money at local businesses; so there is a financial benefit to having them. Not only business but also supporting local residents. All in all; there's nothing wrong in my eyes about having STA's in the area as long as they are affordable and safe for people to stay in.

The topic of Short-Term Accommodations can be a contentious issue, with a wide spectrum of viewpoints. One that I would like to address is the issue of housing availability, and affordability. If Short-Term Accommodation were to expand as a permitted use for properties in Greater Napanee, there would be an immediate and lasting adverse impact on both housing affordability and availability.
For each property that would be added to a ‘pool’ of short-term rentals, there is one residential property that is no longer available for permanent residency, either as a long-term rental or a property available for purchase.
This also has ‘ripple effect’ in that as property values increase, due to the expected income stream of a rental property, it drives the value of other properties as well. This can, and often becomes a vicious cycle in a smaller community where housing is already an issue. Lower supply of single-family residences available for sale or long-term rental means higher prices for both potential tenants and purchasers.
Anyone familiar with the local real estate market can attest to the fact that there is high demand for rental properties (long term rentals) as well as properties available for purchase. Prices are rising but appear to have hit an apex in recent weeks, coupled with higher interest rates, which I believe will continue to rise in the short term, have further decreased local residents’ buying ability.
Making Short-term rental properties more available will only exacerbate an already difficult situation. I believe that Greater Napanee will only be harmed, by allowing or encouraging investors to remove housing units from the market by permitting short term rentals.
I feel very strongly that there must be a limit on the number of STA properties permitted, for a variety of reasons, including being able to manage and enforce requirements and regulations. Limiting the number of STA’s can help maintain the number of housing units available for long-term rentals or ownership, and somewhat assist in controlling affordable housing in the Greater Napanee area.
STA is a slippery slope, and once the market is free to ‘infect’ a municipality with these properties it is very difficult to reverse course. Without strict controls, these types of properties are fodder for non-resident owners, who can be difficult to hold to account when problems arise. Another aspect of STA is the lack of licensing etc. that is required by other types of rental properties. Compliance with health standards, food safety, building codes, and resident safety are all concerns.
I would welcome further discussion if desired.
Rob MacDonald
CEO – Canadian National Association of Real Estate Appraisers
Greater Napanee Resident.

People's houses are their homes. These are their sanctuaries from the demands and stresses of their working lives; places to raise their families and connect with their communities. One of the principles of zoning bylaws is to protect different areas from conflicting land uses. Residential areas must be protected from uses which would undermine the peace and security of families who have chosen to live in such areas usually because they have been designated as residential and are thus protected from incompatible uses.
The term "short-term accommodation" of course brings to mind "Airbnb" and Airbnb brings to mind countless stories reported in the media of how this business has caused so many problems for residents of many communities and undermined the fabric of some residential neighbourhoods where houses have become essentially "hotels" interspersed among family residences. There are abundant reports of STAs being used as "party places" which have repeatedly marred the tranquility of areas where people have made their largest investments in search of safe and secure homes for their families. Their decisions have been heavily influenced by existing zoning bylaws which have given assurances that such residential areas would be protected as such.
Now that STAs have existed in many communities for an appreciable length of time is is clear that in some regions business interests have used STAs to insert transient elements into residential neighbourhoods which conflict with their settled and secure environments. In some communities business organizations have bought up houses in numerous residential areas for the sole purpose of turning them into mini hotels for their profit. This has also led to increases in the prices of houses which in some cases shut out local residents from purchasing family homes.
The use of residential houses for short term accommodations conflicts with residential neighbourhoods. It also betrays the implicit promise that residentially-zoned properties are protected from conflicting uses which would undermine the intended "guarantee" of safe and secure home-oriented areas which people purposely seek out to live in.
Short term accommodations should not be allowed in residential areas of Greater Napanee. If they are allowed in other areas of the community the owners of the properties must be full time residents of the property, subject to licensing and strict restrictions which protect the interests of neighbouring residents. Failure to adhere to such restrictions or complaints from nearby residents should be grounds for revoking such licences.
Residents of Greater Napanee should be protected from the destruction of resiential environments.

Please rethink the feee structure. Most small operations are mom and pop, and most air B n B make a small seasonal income. Napanee is not Venice Beach, nor Banff, nor Picton, etc. Keep it low and encourage compliance.

Prior to moving to Napanee I operated a very successful airbnb in Kingston for approx 5 years
I think licensing should be two tier:
a) those where owners live on the property - one cost re licensing
b) those where owners do not live on the property - higher cost re licensing
Majority of problems are from vacant properties used for airbnb 'party types" and/or high rise condos
I ran a two bedroom, fully equiipped Kit. and maxed out my guests at 4 (once in a while allowed for a 5th'child" Usually said no to this.) Believe it or not those little guys create a LOT of extra everything : toys, cribs, high chairs, extra towels, diapers and trash. = lots of wear and tear from the extra person.
Quiet time: 10:00. No guests unless I approved. Parking - off the street.
SO I think the number of guests to a 1, 2 or 3 bdrm should be limited to 2 per bedroom.
I also feel cost of license should not be so prohibitive so as to be a burden on the home owner. I saw somewhere that $1000.00 was floated. This is totally ridiculous. Most airbnbs don't earn more than $10,00.00 per year.
Many airbnbs are owned by senior home owners making some extra pocket money (these are the 'live-ins"
My comments
I would ask that i get a 'received' note from someone re this email
Thank You
Gail Etherington
gailmuriel1@gmail.com

Hello folks.
I would like to join the conversation on this, as a Greater Napanee resident, STA owner (Picton), and a property manager of other STA's (short term accommodations).
I am in support only licensing, regulations, guidelines, ensuring safety, respecting neighbours, and so on. My concerns are, if the town does decide to regulate/issue a licensing system, be prepared for all that it encompasses, as this is a massive undertaking, and we don't want to leave residents or STA owners with more questions than answers, rules that are confusing, incredibly long wait wait times to register (or even get simple questions answered). Happy to further discuss this.
Cheers