Pricier vacation permits

[Miss Maggie]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... imilkameen

Everyone living within shouting distance of a vacation rental in the RDOS is cheering over this decision.

Maybe the increased fees will be put towards bylaw enforcement so neighbours being kept awake half the night by vacationing partiers have someone to call to get the music and yelling turned down.

Nice work, RDOS directors.

[soupy]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... imilkameen

Everyone living within shouting distance of a vacation rental in the RDOS is cheering over this decision.

Maybe the increased fees will be put towards bylaw enforcement so neighbours being kept awake half the night by vacationing partiers have someone to call to get the music and yelling turned down.

Nice work, RDOS directors.

Agreed 100%

Sadly I think this will be pushing some people out of doing things legally now. Which, hopefully they get caught for.
Ideally AirBNB, VRBO etc. could make it mandatory that a property cannot be listed until they prove they have a valid permit in place.

[seewood]

I'm not a fan of VRBO's. have 2/3 of them within a 9 iron shot from our house. Saying that, the RDOS may be blowing smoke as it may cost more in legal fees to enforce any consequence they have for a guilty verdict. They have tried before in not allowing VRBO's and it failed at the court level.

[fluffy]

Can't they tag fines onto property tax bills the way they putting driving offenses onto your ICBC renewal ? At first glance it would make you think that it will just drive the vacation rental business underground, but without the option to advertise on the usual networks it could put a hole in their business.

Now, are B&Bs under different rules than vacation rentals ? I had always thought of B&Bs as having the owner in residence to look after the second "B", and as such aren't generally the source of as many complaints as vacation rental which turn over the whole house with no direct supervision.

[Sparki55]

Yep, such great news... Now I'll give more to the government just to run a tiny 1 bed, couple only, suite in my basement that can generate $6,000 a year max. This new reg wipes out any profits.

... If only it was profitable to rent long term... Oh wait, that's regulated to the max too.

Where can people move to operate freely? The regulations are just hampering good life.

I like traveling to Mexico and seeing all the open free family enterprise happening all over.

[Miss Maggie]

Yep, such great news... Now I'll give more to the government just to run a tiny 1 bed, couple only, suite in my basement that can generate $6,000 a year max. This new reg wipes out any profits.

... If only it was profitable to rent long term... Oh wait, that's regulated to the max too.

Where can people move to operate freely? The regulations are just hampering good life.

I like traveling to Mexico and seeing all the open free family enterprise happening all over.

Wouldn’t your basement suite be classified as a bed and breakfast operation, and not requiring a temporary use permit?

[twobits]

IMO, If I want to rent a room or basement suite short or long term, the only consideration should be that I comply with already listed laws and be subject to their enforcement. Add to that, declare the income earned and provide reciepts for the expenses incurred.
This is just a revenue cash grab. Permit should be no more than 500 bucks a year and subject to compliance with all of the regulations that apply to the right of quiet enjoyment of surrounding properties. We already have laws that cover those circumstances.
We are becoming a cash hungry police state looking for revenue to pay inflated salaries for people where 80% of them have no diploma or degree yet because they are union Gov't employee's.
Tell me why a receptionist at a doctors office With a MOA Cert makes 20k less and with no benefits than the rude lady at the uninterested and bored person at the RDOS or City Hall entrance with a grade 12 diploma that sends you to a voice mail box cuz they can't even be bothered to see if that human being is even in the building????
IMO, those are 15 buck/hr jobs.......not 35k-45k plus health, pension. and umpteen weeks of sick pay and long term disability.
And 90 % of them have those jobs because of inside friends and connections. This chit has to stop.

[seewood]

Tell me why a receptionist at a doctors office With a MOA Cert makes 20k less and with no benefits than the rude lady at the uninterested and bored person at the RDOS or City Hall entrance with a grade 12 diploma that sends you to a voice mail box cuz they can't even be bothered to see if that human being is even in the building????

That is because of the union.
B&B's usually have someone at home. Fine by me if that i9s the case. RDOS has a permit fee I think, but do charge more for water.

VRBO's are a thorn in my side. New neighbours bought the house and before the ink was dry, it was advertised as a VRBO. They live out of town.
Meanwhile the local school is looking for students and the POC fire dept. are trying to recruit new bodies. No one lives here any more to fill those positions nor bring kids to the area.
Salt Spring Island passed a bylaw evidently where any new VRBO's have to have a member of the family live in the residence. Simple solution. Not perfect but better than absentee homeowners.

[Miss Maggie]

IMO, If I want to rent a room or basement suite short or long term, the only consideration should be that I comply with already listed laws and be subject to their enforcement. Add to that, declare the income earned and provide reciepts for the expenses incurred.
This is just a revenue cash grab. Permit should be no more than 500 bucks a year and subject to compliance with all of the regulations that apply to the right of quiet enjoyment of surrounding properties. We already have laws that cover those circumstances.
We are becoming a cash hungry police state looking for revenue to pay inflated salaries for people where 80% of them have no diploma or degree yet because they are union Gov't employee's.
Tell me why a receptionist at a doctors office With a MOA Cert makes 20k less and with no benefits than the rude lady at the uninterested and bored person at the RDOS or City Hall entrance with a grade 12 diploma that sends you to a voice mail box cuz they can't even be bothered to see if that human being is even in the building????
IMO, those are 15 buck/hr jobs.......not 35k-45k plus health, pension. and umpteen weeks of sick pay and long term disability.
And 90 % of them have those jobs because of inside friends and connections. This *bleep* has to stop.

It’s important to realize that RDOS has no zoning that allows for vacation rentals (other than at Apex) so if not for the Temporary Use Permits vacation rentals would not be allowed at all. People were using properties as illegal vacation rentals and neighbours really had not much recourse over noise and parking etc and the vacation rentals were not paying their fair share of garbage and other utilities. Great for the property owner, not so great for the neighborhood.

I’m guessing that the RDOS directors routinely get complaints from their rate payers about vacation rentals. I don’t like the idea of TUP’s because we have official community plans for a reason but at least-the TUP gives the RDOS something to work with.

[fluffy]

This is just a revenue cash grab. Permit should be no more than 500 bucks a year and subject to compliance with all of the regulations that apply to the right of quiet enjoyment of surrounding properties. We already have laws that cover those circumstances.

I think the big issue here is B&Bs vs. vacation rentals. Where B&Bs started as a way to make a few bucks by offering some hospitality within your own home, vacation rentals go much farther than that by offering a whole home without any owner presence. It is in effect, in direct competition with the mainstream accommodation industry and has grown into such a lucrative money maker that people are buying up houses specifically for use as short term rentals, a revenue cash-grab in itself. One can easily question the morality of this practice given the current state of the long term housing market.

I have no problem at all with fees for operating a vacation rental reflecting the actual cost of municipal administration of these operations, in that they should be subject to all the safety and health requirements and inspections as their mainstream hotel/motel counterparts. I would also be happy to see a system of steep penalties payable by the owners/operators for any disturbances suffered by neighbours.

[cv23]

IMO, If I want to rent a room or basement suite short or long term, the only consideration should be that I comply with already listed laws and be subject to their enforcement. Add to that, declare the income earned and provide reciepts for the expenses incurred.

I agree 100% if you are doing short term rentals.
You want to be a hotelier so should follow ALL the rules and regulations just like all hotel operators are expected/required to do. This would include all the health and safety regulations as well as licensing and zoning. 24/7/365 staff onsite, adequate parking provided, inspections, etc.
Why do we even need a separate set of rules and regulations for AirBnB? They are no different than hotels so should just be made to follow the same rules as hotels.

[twobits]

I can't disagree with either fluff or cv. But these fee increases are absurd and I suspect a token nod to the travel accommodation industry.
In a way actually, I see many similarities between this evolving accommodation industry and what Uber and Lyft had to go through to attain legitimacy.
We all know the end result now.

[cv23]

In a way actually, I see many similarities between this evolving accommodation industry and what Uber and Lyft had to go through to attain legitimacy.

Actually it's quite Apples to Oranges
Municipalities have never set ridiculously low limits on the number hotels in their communities while they did for Taxis.
Municipalities never set limits on hotels about how many could be at a specific location like an airport while they did Taxis.
Municipalities never told hotels their building had to be a certain age or newer while they told Taxis the maximum age of their vehicles.


Only apparent similarity is that Municipalities are having to lower community standards to allow the likes of Uber, Lyft and AirBnB into the taxi and hotel industries. How was lowering standards ever beneficial to a community?

[soupy]

I agree 100% if you are doing short term rentals.
You want to be a hotelier so should follow ALL the rules and regulations just like all hotel operators are expected/required to do. This would include all the health and safety regulations as well as licensing and zoning. 24/7/365 staff onsite, adequate parking provided, inspections, etc.
Why do we even need a separate set of rules and regulations for AirBnB? They are no different than hotels so should just be made to follow the same rules as hotels.

And I agree.
These increases are only hurting the ones who are trying to make a cheap / easy buck when they go out of town a few times a year. Someone who runs an AirBNB as a business will have to pay a little more, but I am all for that too.

It is quite sad that a home owner is better protected to rent AirBNB than long-term. Tenancy act needs some revisions.

[cv23]

It is quite sad that a home owner is better protected to rent AirBNB than long-term. Tenancy act needs some revisions.