Short-Term Rental Accommodations Within Residential Dwellings

The Town of Yarmouth has initiated amendments to the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw to allow residential dwellings to be used for short-term rental accommodations. As of April 1, 2023 the Province now requires operators of all short-term rental accommodations (STR), including a primary residence, to register annually. This registration process requires operators to confirm that they meet the local municipality's Land Use Bylaw.

The proposed Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) amendments are intended to:

• Provide clarity on short-term rental requirements and where short-term rentals are permitted.
• Make changes to enable short-term rental operators to continue to operate and register on the Tourist Accommodation Registry.
• Commit to a comprehensive review of short-term rentals as part of a broader community conversation on housing during the MPS and LUB review.

A summary of proposed changes is as follows:

• Allow one dwelling unit per lot to be used as short-term rental provided the short-term rental operator/host lives on the same lot.
• Enable Council to consider expanded short-term rental uses by Development Agreement which includes opportunities for public input.

The proposed amendments are outlined in the attached PDF report in the "documents" section.

How Will This Affect Me?

The proposed amendments will enable an entire residential dwelling unit such as house, apartment, or basement suite to be rented out as a short-term rental if the operator of the short-term rental lives on the same lot. For example, this will allow someone to rent out their primary residence while they are away, or to rent out an accessory dwelling on their property. Only one short-term rental unit will be permitted on a lot. Situations where someone wants to have more than one short-term rental on a lot or wants to rent their cottage or investment property (not their primary residence) will require special permission from Council through a development agreement.

Guest Home and Bed and Breakfast operations are considered separately as a home-based business and are still permitted to rent up to six (6) bedrooms in a dwelling unit as overnight accommodations.