The soft rollout of the Short Term Rental Accommodation Business Licensing program began when the new By-Law was passed by Council at the end of June 2023. The community engagement aspect of the project has been completed and the STR Jump In project page has been archived.
For more information or to catch up on how we got to where we are currently, please read the Short Term Rental – Licensing Program Implementation report and the draft By-law to License, Regulate and Govern Short-Term Rental Accommodation Businesses in the City of Kawartha Lakes in the documents section on the right.
For recent press and media in regards to Short Term Rentals in Kawartha Lakes view the Media Coverage section on the right.
All previous updates have been moved to the News Feed in the article Short Term Rental Updates Archive.
In the Summer of 2022, City Staff were tasked with monitoring and tracking complaints regarding Short Term Rentals in the City of Kawartha Lakes with the goal being to bring a report to Council by March 31, 2023.
Along with the complaints and feedback that the municipality continues to receive and track, the municipality is seeking public input regarding Short Term Rentals across the municipality in the form of a survey.
By completing this survey, your feedback will help us evaluate possible licensing and other matters regarding Short Term Rentals in the municipality.
Regulation may include, creating a set of rules and conditions for Short Term Rentals such as:
- Licensing - fees payable to the municipality
- Mandatory Inspections – example Fire, Health and Licensing
- Zoning
- Location and types of facilities that could be rented
- Parking
- Prohibition of activities on certain properties or areas in the municipality
- Municipal Accommodation Tax
- Specific insurance requirements
The responses from this survey will be analyzed and combined with information gathered from current complaint monitoring to create a draft regulatory by-law, which will be available at a public meeting being held in the Spring of 2023 (future date to be announced). Following the public meeting, staff will report to Council with budget considerations and options to regulate and license Short Term Rentals in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Key Terms:
Short Term Rental (STR) is a tenancy that is 30 days or less. This could include renting a private room in a home, an entire home, a seasonal property (cottage), temporary residence, lodging or occupancy byway of concession, lease, rental agreement of any other space for 30 days or less. Short term rentals do not include established zoning permitted accommodation types such as bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels, trailer parks, or campgrounds.
