Vacation home rentals contentious issue

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PENTICTON – Finding consensus on handling homes being turned into short-term vacation rentals is tough.

The Regional District Okanagan Similkameen has a stack of letters with roughly half supporting the idea of allowing residences to be used like hotels and the other half being opposed.

Opponents say district regulations have no teeth and the punishments for homeowners, when their temporary tenants violate noise and other bylaws, are too limp wristed. Those not in opposition said the proposed regulations need tweaking and the region could use the extra business. In different parts of the country some homeowners rent their places for $1,500 a month.

The bylaw to regulate the use was given two readings, and will now go to public hearings, to be held in Osoyoos, Okanagan Falls and Naramata later this summer, before returning to the board for disposition.

To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065 or tweet @shannonquesnel1

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