FAIRBNB.CA APPLAUDS TORONTO FOR FIRST-STEP ON TOUGHER HOMESHARE RULES

Coalition: missing accountability for homeshare websites is still the biggest weakness in Canadian proposals

(TORONTO) Today, Canada’s national coalition applauded Toronto for becoming the second major city in the country to begin the development of comprehensive legal reforms to manage the so-called homeshare industry. This morning, City of Toronto staff released a report outlining next steps in their effort to propose regulations for this highly disruptive industry. The report will be considered by the City’s Executive Committee – chaired by Mayor Tory – next week.

“We’re pleased to see that the City staff report in Toronto thoroughly outlines the broad range of impacts that cities are seeing from the underregulated short-term rental sector,” said Lis Pimentel, spokesperson for the Coalition. “Whether it’s homeowners who feel unsafe because of a nearby ‘party house,’ condo boards that can’t enforce rules in their own building due to homeshare rentals, or struggling renters who see a shrinking pool of homes for long-term rentals, this report should make it clear to Toronto City Council that legal and enforcement action really is necessary,” she said.

“While cities like Mississauga and Victoria are exploring their regulatory options, Vancouver became the first Canadian to propose specific regulations in September. The Fairbnb.ca Coalition has noted that the lack of accountability for homeshare website companies is the biggest weakness in Vancouver’s proposed rules; most compliance and liability responsibilities would only fall on hosts and vendors alone. “The lack of a specific call for company accountability is the one weakness we’re seeing in the Toronto report, just as we’ve seen with proposed rules in Vancouver,” Pimentel said, “and we’ll be taking action in the next few weeks to make it clear to Toronto City Council that it’s not enough to police homeshare hosts without policing homeshare websites and companies as well.”

Pimentel also reaffirmed the need to enforce existing rules, as many short-term rentals may already in breach of existing laws. “Airbnb and other players in this market insist that they’re willing to follow new regulations,” she said. “The fact that many vendors aren’t doing so already yet are still listed on this sites is a sign that words are not enough. Hotels, B & Bs and condo boards are all playing by the rules already,” she said, “and cities need to enforce those rules consistently.”

Read the City of Toronto Staff Report, “Developing an Approach to Regulating Short-Term Rentals,” here: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-97235.pdf

For more information, please contact:

• Thorben Wieditz at 647-409-8997 or fairbnb@fairbnb.ca
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