Whitehorse developing local Airbnb regulations

Whitehorse city planners are working on a plan to regulate short-term home rentals that areadvertised through Airbnb and other online marketplaces.

The goal is to have a new bylaw in place by this fall.Currently, short-term rentals in Whitehorsedon't require a business licence, and there aren't regulations.

For now, bylaw officers would only deal with Airbnbs if there are issues such as noise complaints or other bylaw infractions.

"If we do get complaints about a specific unit being used for Airbnb, because of issueswe will likely investigate and there may be enforcement action," says city planner Kinden Kosick.

"We're a small city now, and with that comes some of these issuesthat we're facingsuch as Airbnb.And as you grow, you need more sophisticated regulations, more sophisticated policies to try and deal with the multitude of issues that you're faced with."

For example, regulations might require Airbnbhosts to have a valid business licence. That would allow the city to keep track of how many there are, and where.

Kosick says right now, renting aWhitehorse home through Airbnb is a bit of a grey area.

"Definitely, there is nothing specific in our bylaws that talk about short term rental in residential areas," Kosicksaid.

According to online data and analytics company AirDNA,there are 148 active rentals in Whitehorse.

The city is looking atregulations that would requirebusiness licence numbers to be posted with Airbnb advertisements, so they can be tracked by the city. The idea is that renters would knowthe place they are stayingis regulated and approved through the municipality.

Reinvent the wheel

Kosick says the city will looktoother jurisdictions to see what rules and regulations they have adopted around private rental units.

"When you're coming up with regulations and bylaws, somebody out there has had some good ideas before you in just about every case. So it's a matter of kind of adapting things to the local context," said Kosick.

"There's only so many ways to regulate something like Airbnb, and somebody out there has figured it out."

Manybed and breakfast operators also use Airbnb to book guests.

Carol Oberg owns Casey's Bed and Breakfast in downtown Whitehorse.She has been running her business for over 20 years.

She says although the online marketplace site does bring inbusiness, most of her bookings comefrom throughother sources, such asExpediaorword of mouth.

She says regulations for homeowners who offer short-term rentals would be good especially if theyensurehomes are safe for renters.

"There are things you have to consider do you have liability insurance, do you have working fire extinguishers? I mean, those things are important," saidOberg.

Airbnb Canada says it works with communities and governments to develop "smart, easy-to-follow regulations."

"The majority of hosts on Airbnb share their homes a few nights each month to help make ends meet. In a time when life feels like it's only getting more expensive for Canadians we want to make sure they can keep benefiting from our platform," saidAlex DaggofAirbnb Canada, in an email to CBC.