By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The Town of Osoyoos is reminding residents of public input opportunities around the upcoming Public Hearing on short term rentals at the Regular Open Council meeting on September 9, 2025.
The Town is undertaking a review of the regulations that are applied to short term rental accommodations.
Under current bylaws short term rental accommodation uses are currently prohibited in most zones within the Town, with the exception of those within a “resort residential building” within the Resort Commercial (CT4) Zone (subject to the issuance of a business license). A business license cannot be issued for a use that is not permitted by zoning.
Short-term rental accommodations (STRs) are dwelling units used for providing vacation or recreational accommodation for a specific period of time, usually facilitated through an online platform such as Airbnb or VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner).
“While short term rentals play an important role in the Town’s vibrant tourism industry as a resort municipality, they can also pose challenges to the community as it relates to balancing these demands and year-round housing needs,” the town said.
The aim of the review is to explore how short-term rentals can be regulated in order to ensure long term housing stock is protected, while still enabling a “diversity and flexibility” in accommodation options offered in Osoyoos.
Osoyoos is not alone in coming to grips with the surge of short term rentals spurred by online platforms. In October 2023 the Province passed the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act which among other things gave local governments “stronger tools to enforce short-term rental bylaws”.
This included increasing fines for contravention of short term rental regulations and strengthening local government enforcement tools; protecting community housing stock by returning short-term rentals to long term homes by establishing new criteria for operating short-term rentals with a “Principal Residence Requirement”; and in acknowledgement of the limited ability of smaller municipalities’ ability to enforce, establishing a new role for the Provincial government in the regulation and enforcement of short-term rentals.
A key component – the Principal Residence Requirement – places new requirements on the operation of short-term rentals, specifically: They must be in the host’s principal residence and only one secondary suite or accessory dwelling can be located on the host’s principal residence.
Another important aspect is that while this Principal Residence Requirement only applies to municipalities with a population of 10,000 and more (the 14 Resort Municipality Initiative communities – of which Osoyoos is one – are also exempt from this requirement but this is inconsequential as the town does not meet the 10,000 threshold).
Municipalities can however, opt-in to the principal residence requirement if they so choose. In March of 2024, Council resolved to request of the province that the Town be included in the provincial “Principal Residence Requirement” based on the pressure short term rentals were causing on long term housing. This request was approved and came into effect on November 1, 2024.
Complicating the situation, the Province – in a bid to address the housing crisis – introduced the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Housing (SSMUH) making it easier to add small scale housing on traditional single family residential lots, known as Bill 44.
In light of this the Town has proposed a “Short Term Rental Accommodation Pilot Program” which would allow short-term rentals in the Small-Scale Multi-Unit Residential (RS1) Zone with a maximum of one short term rental with no more than four bedrooms and occupancy capped at 9 persons, and on-site parking at a ratio of one to each bedroom.
A business license with various requirements would be put in place at $750 per year. Enforcement would also be stepped up with a new fine schedule ranging between $150 – $3,000 for infractions.
The public hearing will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 2 p.m. in council chambers, Main St. Osoyoos or via zoom.
More details can be found here or by visiting the Planning & Development Services office between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Additionally, feedback is being solicited on a zoning amendment for a property at 6802 85th St. to rezone from RM1 to RM1s to add a 6th unit (basement suite) to a previously approved five unit apartment building.
Details can be found here or view in person at the Planning & Development Services office. Written feedback must be submitted by noon on September 9 to be included in the agenda package. Submit to [email protected], by mail or in person at Town Hall.
