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Source: City of Winnipeg
Applications now open ahead of new licence requirements in spring Anyone operating a short-term rental – such as an Airbnb, Vrbo, or bed and breakfast – in their Winnipeg home or property needs to prepare for important changes coming in 2024. As of April 1, 2024, operating a short-term rental, or a platform that lists them, will require a City of Winnipeg licence. “The new short-term rental licence brings Winnipeg in line with how many other major cities regulate operations like Airbnb or Vrbo,” said Winston Yee, Manager of Licensing & Bylaw Enforcement. “These rules help create fairness across the accommodation industry, and ensure that operators are accountable for providing a safe rental that’s respectful of the surrounding neighbourhood.” Property and booking limits One of the biggest changes is a limit on which properties homeowners can operate as a short-term rental. Properties purchased after February 23, 2023 can only be operated as a short-term rental if they are the owner’s primary residence. A maximum of three additional properties can be operated as short-term rentals only if they were purchased on or before that date. “We recognize that people have invested in short-term rentals outside of their primary residence,” said Yee. “The inclusion of up to three existing additional properties is meant to ease the transition for them.” Renters can continue operating a short-term rental in their home, provided they receive permission from their landlord. Primary residences can be rented for a maximum of 150 nights a year, without the operator present (there is no limit if the operator is in the home during the stay). All short-term rentals are limited to 29 consecutive nights per booking. Accommodation tax The other big change is a requirement to collect a six percent accommodation tax – the same tax applied on hotel rooms – on all short-term rental bookings. Airbnb and Vrbo will allow this tax to be added through their booking processes. Operators need to make sure they add the tax to each of their listings, and pay it back to us quarterly. Safety measures Many of the other new rules are intended to protect the safety of renters, operators, and the neighbourhood. These include requirements to install and maintain fire safety equipment, display emergency exit plans, and provide guests with a 24/7 emergency contact number. “Short-term rentals have the potential to attract crime, which is part of why we require operators to meet a number of safety standards, in addition to following all City of Winnipeg bylaws,” said Yee. We also worked with the National Human Trafficking Education Centre to develop information for operators on human trafficking and sex trafficking, which must be displayed within the property. Applications You can apply online for a licence now. More information on operating a short-term rental in Winnipeg, including a full list of rules and fees, is available online. Homeowner, renter and business information
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3/24/2024 0 Comments 'It's alarming': Spike in rental prices concerning for low-income housing advocatesSource: CTV News
A new report on the rental market in Canada shows Winnipeg had one of the highest jumps in the cost of one-bedroom rent year-over-year - a stat that is concerning for some low-income housing advocates. The report was published by Zumper, which explored rental listings across the country in Canada's 23 largest cities. While the report found that Winnipeg was on the lower end of rental costs – tied for 18 – the one-bedroom rental market jumped 26.1 per cent year-over-year. Only Edmonton had a larger spike at 27.5 per cent. "It's alarming, (but) it's not surprising," said Josh Brandon, a community animator with the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. "That's what we've heard from people we're working with. It's much harder to find any kind of housing that's affordable." The year-over-year increase means the average one-bedroom for rent is around $1,400. Two bedrooms were also up by 17.9 per cent to be just over $1,700. Brandon said there are instances where people are using more than 30 per cent of their income to pay for housing. "One in eight renters are living in poor housing needs. So that means that they're paying more than what's affordable for rent or else they're living in overcrowded housing that's in poor condition." Christina Maes Nino, the executive director of the Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association, said that the recent announcement of the minimum wage going up in Manitoba in October makes it really easy to notice problems for low-income earners. "So it's really easy to compare what a working-poor household might be getting as an increase of three per cent next year, whereas, the cost of rent is going up 26 per cent. So it's pretty obvious that there's a gap there in what people are going to be able to afford," said Maes Nino. She notes with climbing rent, families are having to make decisions on what to pay on a month-to-month basis. "So food, transportation, if they need a vehicle, and rent. For seniors, we hear a lot about them making a decision between paying for prescription medication and rent. So households continue to have to make those tough choices, and some who can't make those choices end up experiencing homelessness." With a continued rise in rental prices, Brandon said focus needs to be put on more affordable housing projects and strengthening rent control regulations in the province. It's something Maes Nino agrees with. "Rent control is one part of the puzzle. The other piece of the puzzle is creating more non-profit housing, cooperative housing, non-market housing. It's designed to be more affordable, that's why it exists. Countries and cities that have more non-profit housing, tend to have more affordable rent overall." Even though the numbers in the rental report highlight some of the negatives in Winnipeg's rental market, Maes Nino noted there are some positives as well. She said seeing Winnipeg lower on the list does point to the city still being more affordable than most places in Canada and the listings that are part of the report are mostly new builds for rent. "More housing supply is great. It does overall reduce prices over the long term. It doesn't necessarily hit those very low-income groups because the market simply can't fill those gaps. So it has to be that full spectrum of housing that we build |
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