Item - 2021.PH20.7

The Planning and Housing Committee submits the item to City Council without recommendations.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Requested the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards to report directly to the February 2, 2021 meeting of City Council with an interim update on the implementation of the City's Short Term Rental regulations and registrations process and include in that answers to the following questions:

a.  Will Short Term Rental Companies de-list all those properties that have no valid, city-issued permit number attached? 
 

b.  Will Short Term Rental Companies ensure that only valid city registration numbers are used?
 

c.  How will Short Term Rental Companies distinguish between a valid and a made up registration number?
 

d.  Will Short Term Rental Companies de-list all properties that currently say “exempt” in their registration field?

In December 2017, and January 2018, City Council approved regulations for short-term rentals in Toronto. However, the City’s zoning bylaw amendments to permit short-term rentals as a use were appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) and so implementation of the regulations was delayed.  In January 2019, City Council voted to request Airbnb and other short-term rental platforms to voluntarily abide by rules approved by City Council in 2017 permitting short-term rentals, while they are currently under appeal at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. Alas, Council's request went largely unheeded. In November, 2019 the LPAT issued a ruling that dismissed the appeals and upheld City Council's adopted zoning bylaw for short-term rentals and since then City staff have been working to implement the regulations adopted by Council.

In February 2019, Council considered a City commissioned report on Toronto's housing market that warned:

In the absence of government intervention and action across the housing continuum, Toronto’s low- and moderate income households will face a grim housing situation.

Unremedied, the housing situation in Toronto will produce consequential challenges for equity, cohesion, and economic prosperity in the city.  The report projects worsening conditions among those already severely burdened households, including low-income households; seniors with multiple health conditions and fixed incomes; lone parent families, households receiving social assistance, and immigrants.

With concerns about mass residential evictions resulting from the economic crisis caused by the pandemic and changes to provincial regulations, it would be helpful at this time to get an interim update on the short term rental regulations and registration implementation process and for that to address the questions that arise out of concerns in implementing short term rental regulations in other jurisdictions.