By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle

The new rules around short-term rentals are coming into focus, area by area, in light of new provincial legislation mandating them to do so. 

The Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) planning and development committee went over the numerous different plans for the various electoral areas at their December 19 meeting. Only certain areas opted into certain rules such as requiring business licenses to operate short-term rentals.

In Electoral Areas “A” and “C”, rural Osoyoos and rural Oliver, the plan is to create a streamlined Short-Term Rental (STR) permit that will have to be applied for in order to legally operate a short-term rental.

In 2023, the provincial short-term rental framework was changed to provide regional districts the authority to regulate short-term rentals and other businesses in the same way as municipalities.

Each of the nine areas within the RDOS is managing the task of deciding whether they would like to implement these business licences within their area, what they would look like, what business licence fee they would like to charge, and what kinds of restrictions they would want to put in the bylaw.

In order to implement these permits in rural Osoyoos and rural Oliver, four separate bylaws have to be changed to pave a path forward. These changes have now been initiated by the RDOS and will still need to be read and approved by the board.

The Official Community Plan (OCP) Bylaw, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Delegation Amendment bylaw, the Development Procedures Amendment Bylaw, and the Fees and Charges Bylaw all need to be changed. 

Each of these impacts how the future of short-term rentals will look in the South Okanagan.   

The OCP bylaw introduces a policy around permits, which replaces existing provisions for term rentals. This bylaw will also change the previously existing requirements for septic compliance, community benefit, and screening and fencing, which will all be removed. 

What will remain is requiring one space of parking per bedroom or two guests, and health and safety inspection requirements. 

If the operator is not present in the same dwelling unit, they would need to apply for the short-term rental permit. 

When someone submits an application for a new STR permit, the application will for the most part no longer go in front of the RDOS board of directors for a decision.  

The CAO delegation amendments give the authority to issue these STR permits to RDOS staff. 

There will be general criteria for applicants, such as having a maximum of one STR per parcel of land in a single detached home, duplex, accessory dwelling or secondary suite.  

Other criteria will involve having a maximum of eight guests, with two guests per bedroom and the dwelling must meet health and safety requirements.  

If any of these criteria are not met, then consideration of the STR permit would go to the RDOS board of directors and not delegated to RDOS staff and this will come at a higher cost.   

The RDOS has to provide reasons in writing for denying any operators this permit. 

If the application does not meet the above criteria, then it will cost a lot more to acquire a STR permit, as the fees and charges bylaw lays out.  

The application fee for delegated applications is currently $500 and non-delegated applications will cost $2,500. 

The cost of re-issuance would be $500 for delegated applications and $1,250 for non-delegated STR permits. 

Jim Zaffino, chief administrative officer (CAO) explained at an earlier May 9, 2024 workshop on the issue that the RDOS was headed in this direction more generally to force the businesses to pay their own way when it comes to dealing with community complaints and recouping the costs of bylaw, building inspections etc. 

“If you are fine with the general taxpayer paying for the complaints then it’s fine. If you want the short-term rentals to pay their own way, then business licences are required . . . It’s your choice, if you don’t want business licenses, that’s your call.”  

As for the other RDOS areas, some agreed to opt in, and some opted out of introducing business licensing.

For more information on plans around short-term rental permits see the RDOS’ short-term rental page.