New Ottawa short-term rental by-law passes, featuring penalties up to $100,000
New regulations governing short-term rentals across Ottawa will officially be in place for the next three years.
City council passed the short-term rental by-law on Wednesday, April 28, which establishes a host permit system, as well as rules for short-term rental platforms and property managers.
In line with a strategy that council adopted in November 2019, the new by-law is designed to address community nuisance issues and concerns around public health and safety.
Violations of the by-law could result in fines for both guests and hosts of up to $100,000 each day that an offence occurs. In addition, the city says it will be able to suspend or revoke a host permit for violating the by-law.
To protect housing inventory for Ottawa residents, the by-law restricts short-term rentals to principal residences in urban residential zones and rural villages. Operators will need to get a host permit from the city, proving the rental property is their principal residence.
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Some properties that are not a host’s principal residence will be permitted, but only in certain rural areas. The city says such properties will be defined separately as cottage rentals.
