POWELL RIVER, B.C.- The city is hosting a public open house this month, talking about short-term rental accommodations.
Many communities in British Columbia are working to address issues brought up by short-term rental units like AirBnBs.
“While there are some common provincial and federal laws, the permission to allow short-term rental use in residential dwellings is primarily addressed by local governments,” said Jason Gow in a media release sent out by the city. He’s the Senior Planner for Powell River.
The release stated that there are a number of questions to ask when addressing short-term rentals.
These include:
- how might short-term nightly rates support or impact community goals and aspirations?
- how many of these rentals are appropriate?
- where are they best located?
- how are short-term rentals managed and enforced?
The open house will allow residents to speak with city officials from 7 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 17th at the First Credit Union Community Room at the Powell River Public Library.
There will be a presentation from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m., followed by a question and answer period.
The release noted that the city wants to regulate short-term rentals to ensure safety and quality for renters. The city has been monitoring how many Powell River units are advertised on short-term accommodation websites to keep tabs on the local market.
The city said that so far they have not received any complaints from residents on short-term rentals.
In the release, Gow said an online survey will be launched by the city later this month. An exact date was not mentioned.
