On January 5, 2021 the Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association sent an email to the City of West Kelowna’s Development Services Department, Mayor & Council in response to their Draft Regulations for Short Term Rentals.
Attention: City of West Kelowna’s Development Services Department, Mayor and Council, and Chief Administrative Officer
RE: Short Term Rentals
To Whom This May Concern,
The Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association would like to provide additional feedback with regards to the Draft Regulations for Short Term Rentals. First and foremost we applaud your efforts on this initiative and believe these regulations are a step in the right direction for this currently illegal but very operational industry in our city. We strongly agree with your proposed requirements when it comes to licensing, parking, guests limitations, fine increases, and ensuring a responsive and local contact remain available for the rental at all times.
In addition to the above we would also like you to consider further regulations on:
- The number of short term rental licenses granted into select neighbourhoods (i.e. Gellatly Bay).This would also need to include a fair way to turnover licenses within the neighbourhoods year over year potentially through a lottery system.
- Setting limits on the number of nights the residence can be rented out as a Short Term Rental during the year.
- Not allowing homes to be purchased and operated as full-time Short Term Rentals. Numerous of these currently operate in the City which take away from a residential neighbourhood sense of community. One option to circumvent this would be to require that the dwelling be occupied by the primary owner/licensor at least 50% of the year. Alternatively if this is an option you are looking to support additional licensing fees should be applied.
- Increasing fines and penalties for repeat offenders. In an effort to keep enforcement costs manageable fines should be tripled (or more) on your third incident. Similarly, any Short Term Rentals that receive more than 3 infractions in a year should have their business license suspended with no chance of renewal the following year.
- The City needs to move forward with registration and collection of a Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) for all Short Term Rentals with the revenue being invested back into enforcement and support.
Last but most important is enforcement for these regulations which we do not see being adequately addressed in your current draft. Many of our members are personally affected by Short Term Rentals and are all too familiar with where the City falls short. Your draft for regulating this initiative needs to include additional Bylaw Officers that are proactive and operate on a 24/7 shift schedule for the Summer season. Majority of infractions occur outside the existing Bylaw operating hours and as such we recommend West Kelowna adopt a similar Bylaw schedule as the City of Kelowna. This includes 24/7 Bylaw Officer resources over the Summer season which have responsive access to a RCMP officer.
If there is any additional feedback or support we can offer your team as you move forward with the next draft please don’t hesitate to reach out.
All the Best,
The Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association
Gellatly Bay Goats Peak Community Association 