Good evening reeve and councillors, thank you for allowing us to present information on short-term rentals. My name is Ralph Clark and I along with some others are a group of volunteer neighbourhood representatives from each identifiable neighbourhood in Onanole. We are sponsoring this presentation. We represent the vast majority of local single family residential homeowners. A list of the representatives is attached at the end of the presentation notes. Please note Perry Au residential area should read “Poplar Avenue”.
Does everyone remember their first home and how excited they were to move in? Personally, my wife and I have fond memories of that time and remember the connections we soon made with our neighbours. They became an extension to our family. Councillors present today will know that local residents view their property as their special place. Whether it is their weekend and/or vacation retreat, or their eventual retirement home, or their place to work and raise a family, it is their special place.
The phenomenon of short-term vacation rentals is relatively new to our area. They are commonly referred to as Airbnb’s, VRBO’s, Home To Go, etc. They were intended as temporary use of extra space in someone’s primary residence.
The number of short-term rentals (STR’s) in our municipality has increased significantly in the past years, particularly in the Onanole area. Most are now established in single family residential neighbourhoods. Just recently, we have seen a single owner/operator of STR’s acquire three properties on one neighbourhood street. One residential owner in the Onanole area stated, “In 2010 I chose to move from
Winnipeg and invest all in this community, to live year-round in a zoned residential area. As of this past winter/summer, I’m now surrounded on all sides by Airbnb’s. This personal and community impact is untenable but reversable.” STR’s violate the essence of single-family residential zoning. They are commercial enterprises (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year) which are totally inappropriate and unanticipated. This is no different than opening up a business such as a repair shop in a residential area. Both are unacceptable. Communications from one local Airbnb operator tells the tale when he describes his properties as being part of this new “industry” serving tourism.
STR’s are frequently overcrowded with excess numbers of guests, sometimes involving travel trailers, motorhomes, ATVs, boats, and extra passenger vehicles parked at the same address.
STR’s often have absentee owners who are unavailable to address immediate problems such as excess noise and inappropriate behaviour of guests, which can also include outdoor fires during a fire ban, and leaving out garbage that attracts wildlife such as bears, skunks, and racoons.
STR’s can have a negative impact on the character of a neighbourhood when taking into account that the people occupying the residence are entirely transient. Likewise, the absentee owners have no commitment to the community, and may neglect the appearance and care of the property and neighbourhood as it is not their permanent residence or vacation home.
Unlike commercial bed and breakfast establishments, and hotels and lodges, STR’s do not pay commercial property taxes, hotel taxes and other such levies. They are essentially “underground” commercial enterprises that are unregulated and unmonitored. Likewise, when compared to legitimate commercial operations providing short term accommodations, STR’s circumvent the many rules and regulations pertaining to health and safety. For instance, legitimate bed and breakfast establishments with four or more rooms collect PST and GST, have regular on-site inspections, must provide adequate parking, and otherwise have full-time on-site supervision.
STR’s can seriously undermine the value of adjoining properties. Few legitimate residents would care to live next door to an STR property. So, resale values of legitimate residential properties are very negatively affected. More importantly, the quality of life of adjoining owners is negatively affected. They are legally and morally entitled to “quiet enjoyment” of their residential property. On the other hand, investors in STR’s compete with legitimate single home buyers for available properties, which can result in individual home buyers being pushed out of the market by these commercial enterprises which will pay excessively high prices for properties based on their commercial value rather than residential value.
When legitimate residential home buyers are pushed out of the market, it becomes difficult for families to establish homes. These homes are for those who own or work for local businesses and for government workers. These residents may have children who attend local schools. Many can be involved in the community as volunteers. It is well known that this area has become the home for many
active and involved retired people. All of these people are passionate about their community and give generously of their time to make our community a special place to call home.
STR’s are essentially prohibited in neighbouring Wasagaming, as they violate the terms of the long-term land leases which are established by Parks Canada.
My wife and I purchased our cabin back in 2005. Initially the intent was to use it during the summer and for the odd weekend while we were still working in Brandon. We fell in love with the neighbourhood and community for all the reasons outlined in the Municipality of Harrison Park mission and vision statements.
It was welcoming and safe. As years passed, our casual use on weekends evolved into returning to the cabin every weekend. In 2018 it became our permanent home. We had no regrets until this past summer. There is nothing more disturbing than having an adjacent property become a turnstile of transient party goers. This has certainly deprived us of a quiet enjoyment of our home. In an eleven-week period starting June 19thof this year, we have contacted the owner on seven different occasions and the RCMP twice. Prior to this summer including the time we purchased our property in Onanole and the thirty years we lived in Brandon, we have never had a reason to contact anyone regarding a residential disturbance.
Proponents of STR’s may argue that they are good for tourism, good for property values, and good for providing a strong resale market. We believe the facts that have already been outlined refute those positions. Rather, we suggest that those who wish to invest in short term rental accommodations should do so on appropriately zoned property, should build multi unit accommodations with on site management, and should operate like all other commercial enterprises. If “investors” wish to own revenue property in this area, they should serve the needs of the long-term renters, not compete with commercial short-term rental business.
PROPOSALS TO CONSIDER:
STR’s have become a major problem for communities throughout the world, especially for those that are vacation destinations. The problem, as outlined above, centres around the destruction of residential neighbourhoods and the loss of available properties for legitimate residential homes in areas that tend to be high-cost housing. That includes the loss of long-term rental properties. Some jurisdictions have tried to “regulate” the STR industry. That has tended to be unworkable and bureaucratically costly. Moreover, the main problems still exist. But the one common thread that has been adopted by many communities is the prohibition of STR’s in single family residential zones.
STR’s are not:
- homeowners renting for long terms (30 days plus),
- homeowners in residence who welcome guests,
- homeowners who rent their bunkhouse,
- legitimate bed and breakfast establishments,
- lodges with on site management,
- condos in a condo development that set their own rules for STR’s,
- multi family residential developments in appropriately zoned areas.
We offer examples of two communities that have effectively dealt with this matter.
Canmore, Alberta is a community very much like Onanole, as it adjoins a national park and is growing as a destination for vacationers and for full time residents. For all the same reasons as our very own Onanole, it has had to deal with STR’s. A link to the bylaw provisions is found in your presentation notes. They appear fair and effective. STR’s are prohibited in single family residential zones. Where they are allowed, it is under specific rules.
https://canmore.ca/municipal-services/residents-development-planning/building-development/vacation-rentals
Palm Desert, California is one of five cities adjoining Palm Springs. All of those cities, being part of a hugely popular destination area for vacation/permanent residence properties, have had to deal with the influx of STR’s that did not exist only a few decades ago. Palm Desert’s bylaws are succinct and well accepted by the population for all of the same reasons we are here today. The latest version of their bylaws that apply to planned communities have been challenged in court and upheld as valid. Similar bylaws have taken effect in adjoining cities. One city even held a plebiscite on the issue. Voters were in full support of controls for STR’s.
https://www.cityofpalmdesert.org/our-city/departments/planning/vacation-rental-moratorium
Questions
What happens to current STR’s should the Municipality choose to prohibit them in residential zones? We suggest that current owners can choose to:
- remain owners of the properties that they have acquired
- live in them as vacation or full-time homes like the rest of their neighbours do.
- hold them for long term rentals
- place the properties back onto the resale market
We would be ready and willing, should council wish to call on us, to participate in formulating appropriate bylaws.
Short-term rentals are somewhat unique to this municipality compared to others in the province of Manitoba, including other municipalities with resort destinations in them. We are adjacent to a national park and the housing development in our area is expanding in an unprecedented way. Your council has the opportunity to set a positive precedent which will protect the residents in this municipality from short-term rentals located in single family residential zones and to provide affordable housing for all.
The challenge is yours.