Moncton watches Halifax, Charlottetown Airbnb regulations

Moncton council unanimously voted Monday to take a wait-and-see approach to regulating short-term rentals like Airbnb.

The city will monitor how municipalities like Halifax, Charlottetown and Saint Andrews implement rules. Moncton staff are expected to present an update to council in about six months.

"I feel that this is something that we need to keep our finger on, but I certainly appreciate that we have other priorities," Coun. Susan Edgett said at a committee meeting Monday where a staff report on the issue was presented.

The original recommendation by staff didn't include a timeline for them to report back to council, but Coun. Charles Léger pushed for that to happen next year saying the city shouldn't wait to act.

Bill Budd, Moncton's director of urban planning, said the city's planning staff have a long list of other priorities to tackle. Some include an update of the city's land use plan.

He said there have only been two complaints about short-term rentals, though didn't offer a timeframe for the complaints. The report says the COVID-19 pandemic cut the number of short-term rentals offered in Moncton from about 400 down to around 260 by August. Three-quarters of the listings were for entire units, not just a room within a unit.

"For the majority of the city, it's not really an issue so far," Budd said. "But if we go out and we start doing engagement, we might find that it's a more of an issue. But in terms of priority, if we were going to do this, we're not set up to do it."

Andrew Smith, a senior planner with the city, prepared a report on the issue for council examining what other municipalities are doing regarding short-term rentals.

The report concludes that it would be costly for Moncton to try to regulate the market, which would involve drafting new bylaws, consulting various people, then monitoring and enforcement.

The report suggests implementing regulations would require creating two new full-time staff positions and hiring a firm for $33,000 per year to monitor for addresses offered as short-term rentals and check compliance with city rules.

The report says the impact of short-term rentals on communities is more pressing in areas with high tourism and low vacancy rates.

"The main driver has been the loss of housing stock and affordable housing," Smith said of efforts to regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb.

Halifax council this fall voted for a plan to create a registry of short-term rental locations. Some would then have to comply with the same regulations as hotels.

City staff said Charlottetown was preparing to implement regulations earlier this year, but tabled it because of the pandemic.

Smith's report says Saint Andrews, through the Southwest Regional Service Commission, is exploring implementing a licensing bylaw.

The motion passed Monday means city staff will watch how those communities implement those rules and see what could work in Moncton.

Smith said the New Brunswick government doesn't appear interested in adopting a province-wide approach. Budd said he contacted his counterparts across New Brunswick to form a group that would work with the province, but said there was "zero interest."

Coun. Blair Lawrence said the city shouldn't wait for the province.

"I think if we wait for the province, we might as well wait until we're all six feet under," Lawrence said.