Ivan Radic / CC
Meaford is going to consider implementing a short-term accommodation (STA) licensing program in the municipality.
In response to the rising number of STAs in the municipality, council is going to consider either maintaining its current regulatory structure, keep the existing structure while incorporating compliance through rental platforms like Airbnb, or create a comprehensive STA licensing program.
Director of Economic Development Eric Baldwin says the second option is a more cost-effective and tailored solution to address immediate concerns with properties which do not comply with rental platforms’ policies.
The third option, meanwhile, would provide a more detailed and structured framework for managing short-term rentals and would involve increasing resources for development, management and enforcement.
This comes after Meaford adopted a project charter for the STA licensing project in June, 2023.
This further builds upon the charter to address the negative impacts of STAs on neighbouring properties, including on-site parking, occupancy limits, basic fire safety, and availability of municipal enforcement officers during evenings and weekends.
The number of STA complaints has risen in recent years, with 16 reported last year, and 11 reported to date in 2024. Recent reports also indicate about 232 STA properties operating within Meaford.
“The intent of regulating STA’s is to provide safeguards for residents to enjoy the benefits of short-term accommodations while addressing their potential negative impact on neighbours and the broader community. STA benefits include support for tourism, attraction of investment, increased community visitation, supplemental accommodation for resident families, event venue destination, revenue generation for local businesses from visitors and supplemental income for Meaford resident STA property owners,” says a report from Baldwin.
If council decides to move forward with an STA licensing program, it would need to include over $461,000 in its 2025 budget, which is already considering the over $64,000 in revenue it would rake in from the program.
Council will consider possibly implementing the licensing program during its meeting on Monday at 1 p.m.