Municipal Regulation of Short-term Rentals in Alberta

• Main Author: Mian, Jasmine
• Other Authors: Tedds, Lindsay M.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: School of Public Policy 2020
• Subjects: Canada; Fort McMurray
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/114200; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/39442

From 2015 to 2018, revenue from short-term rentals in Alberta grew from around $8 million to $151 million (Canada 2019d). This increase in market activity has been facilitated by the popularity of platforms like Airbnb. As this marketplace grew, concerns mounted about the negative aspects of these transactions and policymakers have been called to regulate. In this capstone, the short-term rental regulations are examined for six Albertan municipalities: Banff, Calgary, Canmore, Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Jasper. These jurisdictions were chosen to provide a snapshot of regulatory approaches across the province and because they face unique challenges with respect to vacancy rates, tourism, geographic location and population. To simplify the analysis, the regulations are categorized by the issues they are targeted to resolve: Housing Prices and Supply, Neighbourhood Preservation, Competitive Fairness and Safety. It is important to note that despite this categorization, many of the regulations within categories overlap and compliment regulations from other categories. None of the jurisdictions examined in this analysis have banned short-term rentals, but Banff, Canmore and Jasper are considerably more restrictive than Calgary or Edmonton. Fort McMurray does not have any regulations that pertain to short-term rentals. Recommendations for improving municipal short-term rental regulations include not missing revenue generating opportunities from short-term rental platforms, proactively enforcing regulations and ensuring that regulations match the problems faced by the municipality. To stay relevant and effective, municipalities need to revisit their short-term regulations often.