Only 7 AirBnB licences awarded in WN

After 4 months, less than 10% of STR operators have been approved.

It’s now been 4 months since West Nipissing council passed a new Short-Term Rental (STR) bylaw which requires anyone operating in West Nipissing to get a licence for $750. The bylaw was passed on April 3rd and required operators to register within 60 days (by June 2nd).

According to the most recent registry of licences issued by the municipality, only 7 STRs have been approved to operate.

In contrast, there still are over 100 local operators active on AirBnB.ca.

I spoke to several former STR operators in West Nipissing who sought licences recently and all have declined to register their properties or have been declined due to the strict and often unachievable requirements. The individuals I have spoken to have stopped renting altogether and forfeited thousands of lost revenues over the summer.

Many on the other hand have simply decided to continue operating without a licence. This will create a dilemma for West Nipissing bylaw enforcement. While they cannot crack down on over 100 unlicensed operators, this may lead to inconsistent and targeted enforcement (e.g. in neighbourhoods affecting politicians or staff). A predicament that many had warned could occur when overly strict licence requirements are imposed.

Earlier this week, I reached out to the municipality for a comment on the lack of licences issued but as of publishing they did not respond.

Less AirBnBs ≠ More Long Term Housing

One of the purported benefits of implementing an STR bylaw was to address the housing crisis locally. Some councillors believed that prohibiting STRs would force property owners to rent to long-term tenants and alleviate the shortage of rental units. Some had hoped this would also bring down the skyrocketing prices of apartments for rent.

Unfortunately this has not transpired. A search of Kijiji and the popular social media group West Nipissing Houses and Apartments for Rent reveal very little additional housing options. The few apartments listed in the last few months have garnered dozens of public inquiries and negative comments regarding the exorbitant prices that the free market currently commands.

Two-bedroom apartments routinely approach $2,000 a month and 3 bedrooms units or houses require prospective renters to afford over $2,500.

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