Short-term rentals: Get your business licence or face daily fines, says City of Kelowna

The City of Kelowna says it will be implementing daily fines and other compliance action if short-term rentals aren’t licensed with the city.

The announcement, made this week, will be effective through the fall and into early 2020.

“Those operating a short-term rental without a business licence will now be subject to compliance action and fines,” the city said in a press release.

According to the city, less than half of the approximately 1,300 short-term rentals identified as listed online are licensed.

“Operators without a business licence and not compliant with rules and regulations may face a fine of up to $500 per day, per offence, or more if compliance efforts require escalation,” said the city.

The city says those wanting to operate a short-term rental in 2020 will need to renew their licence fees and ensure all documentation is accurate and up-to-date.

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The renewal notices will be mailed in early December, the city said. Licence fees are due by Jan. 15 each year, regardless of booking start dates.

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“Since council adopted the new short-term rental accommodation bylaws, we’ve been busy processing business licence applications,” said Greg Wise, the city’s business licence manager.

The city added that neighbours who have concerns about a short-term rental operating in their neighbourhood may visit kelowna.ca/business to find out what requirements operators and their guests should be following.

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