Kelowna ready to crack down on illegal short-term rentals

Kelowna homeowners who rent out their properties on Airbnb or similar short-term rental sites have had more than six months to buy business licences so the City is going to crack down on those who haven’t complied.

“So far, less than half of the approximately 1,300 short-term rentals identified as listed online are licensed,” states a City news release. “Operators without a business license and not compliant with rules and regulations may face a fine of up to $500 per day, per offence, or more if compliance efforts require escalation.”

A contractor has been hired to enforce the rules, which include things like parking, fire and safety requirements and booking rules, as well as having a licence.

Renewal notices will be mailed to licenced operators in early December with payment due by Jan. 15.

Neighbours can check out the rules at kelowna.ca/business and can file complaints about guests or unlicenced suites at safe.hostcompliance.com or by phoning 778-760-8747.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.