Short term rentals should be allowed in Lake Country, says a report written by district staff.
Vacation rentals are currently not allowed in the district, but according to a survey which was conducted in 2015, 48 per cent of residents said they were in favour of allowing short-term rentals, while 41 per cent were not.
Proposed zoning bylaw changes would define a short term vacation rental and would limit its use to no more than 30 consecutive days, with no more than four rooms rented at the same time, and the location wouldn’t be allowed in an accessory suite, said the report which will be presented to council Tuesday night.
Parking and waste removal would also be assigned to the property, and noise and nuisance complaints would be addressed through an existing nuisance bylaw.
“In practice, the only functional difference between this use and council’s definition of Bed and Breakfast is that an owner/operator of a short term vacation rental would not have to serve breakfast,” said the report.
“The cost of short-term rentals business licence would be $100 annually after the first year free. If even half of the 300 or so short term rentals in the community became compliant, this would equate to an addition $15,000 in revenue for the district.”
The City of Kelowna and West Kelowna currently have no bylaws in place addressing short-term rentals. In February, the province announced Airbnb will have to pay provincial sales tax.
If Lake Country council approves the zoning bylaw amendment, it will be read a first and second time before being forwarded to a public hearing.
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