A decision on whether the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen will ask the province to be exempt from recently introduced short-term rental regulations was delayed to gather resident feedback.
The RDOS board was asked by staff to opt out of the principal residence requirement to give time to finish off the ongoing vacation rental review and housing needs report update.
Staff also wants to implement a business licensing scheme for vacation rental uses and to review the fines applied for vacation rental infractions RDOS bylaws.
The principal residence requirement limits short-term rentals to properties that are the owner’s primary residence and to a single secondary suite or accessory dwelling, such as a carriage house.
The board had many different opinions on the matter, and in the end, asked to defer a decision to give time to communicate with residents and the advisory planning committees for their respective electoral areas.
Summerland Mayor and RDOS Director Doug Holmes noted that Summerland had brought in similar regulations ahead of the province.
It’s worth it for the RDOS to do the same, he said.
Some directors had questions about the options for whether specific areas could opt-in and others remain out of the provincial requirements.
Other directors brought up how Kelowna had levelled even stricter regulations than what the province wanted.
Director Subrina Monteith, who represents Area I which includes Kaleden, noted that even with Apex Mountain being exempt as a resort, the rest of her area wanted to opt-in for the regulations.
Monteith and Okanagan Falls director Matt Taylor were the sole votes against a delay to the decision.
A decision from the RDOS to opt out of the regulation on short-term rentals requiring the owner to be on the property is required to be made each year by March 31.
