City of Edmonton eyes short-term rental ‘good neighbour’ rules to prevent party properties

Edmonton city council is looking at potential changes to its bylaws around short-term property rentals, to give people better tools against “problem properties” that disrupt the neighbourhood.

The city put a bylaw into place last summer that require those who run Airbnb homes and other short-term rentals in Edmonton to have a business license.

On Tuesday, council discussed making some changes to that bylaw due to 167 complaints between August 2018 and August 2020 that related to noise, litter and nuisance around 117 different properties — meaning that some properties had multiple complaints against them.

“There’s been concerns for a long time about certain Airbnbs,” Coun. Bev Esslinger said Tuesday.

“I think the biggest thing that we’re facing is the idea that, how do you keep a quiet neighbourhood when you have a party house down the street?”

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The city issued 71 warnings related to the complaints.

Now, councillors are looking at adding a “good neighbour” requirement to the current bylaw, where those who own or run the short-term rental property would be required to provide the city with a detailed plan on how they will manage noise, parking, waste and other issues.

Esslinger said the plan could also include things like who neighbours should contact for issues, because currently many people feel they have no option but to call the police if a disturbance happens.

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“The owner of the property would have to have a list of who to contact if there’s concerns, trying to make better transparent that there’s someone nearby.”

She added that the city is hoping to smooth over issues so companies like Airbnb can continue to operate, but those who live near the homes can feel they have rights too.

“People like the options of having Airbnb available, but if your neighbourhood is having a problem property from an Airbnb, you’re less likely to be supportive,” she said. “So we need to protect everyone.”

1:48 Group of Edmontonians pushes for more regulations on short-term rentals

There has also been a decrease in Airbnb properties listed in the city since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to information from the city. In September 2020, there were 1,768 short-term rental properties in the city, down from numbers from May 2019 that recorded 2,146.

City officials are planning to monitor additional complaints and will further debate the bylaw changes in January.