Grandfathering a key question for short-term rentals in Charlottetown

People on both sides of the question of short-term rentals in Charlottetown want to know if new proposed regulations for the industry will apply to units that are already operating.

City Planning staff presented a detailed report to Charlottetown city council Monday night, proposing five different scenarios for regulating the short-term rental business. It detailed the current impact on the rental market, and projected what impact each of the five scenarios might have.

At 1.2 per cent, Charlottetown has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the country.That, combined with soaring house prices, have led many to say the city has a housing crisis.

City planning staff described an option that would allow short term rentals to operate in any principal residence, including apartments, and allow commercial short term rentals in areas zoned for hotels, as the most balanced approach.

Open question

Aimee Power, of the P.E.I. Fight for Affordable Housing Group, is concerned the report leaves open the question of whether new rules would apply to existing units.

"Is there a grandfathering in of the existing properties? I think that's something to consider," said Power.

"Our group has consistently said we want to return long-term housing units."

The Charlottetown Short-Term Rental Association is concerned about any move to change the rules in mid-stream for existing operators.

"There is a lot of short-term rental owners in Charlottetown that have been operating legally and registered," said group member Terrie Williams.

"They have a lot of money invested in their properties. They hire people, they employ cleaners and those people will be shut down. It's just not fair."

The recommendations in the planning department report are open to amendments as the proposed regulations go through a public consultation phase.

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