Short-term Rentals Survey

Short-term rental housing is typically considered an accommodation rental for less than 30 days. These rentals generally serve visitors to Guelph and are not permanent housing solutions for area residents.

Hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts in Guelph are currently regulated under our Business Licence By-law.  In the last decade, there has been rapid growth in various apps and websites that connect people looking to rent a room, apartment or house for a short period of time with people who want to provide their room, apartment or house to rent for a fee. There are a little over 100 such rentals that we know of on the market in Guelph today, and they are not regulated under the existing by-law.

Without regulation, that means these different business models can operate under different standards when it comes to fire safety, zoning, parking and other standards that are mandated under the business licencing model.  As a result, we have an uneven playing field in the short-term rental market. Through this process we will develop a Short-term Rentals By-law, but specifics around regulations and it’s relationship to the Business Licencing By-law are still undecided.

Please help us find the right solution for Guelph. Your feedback will be used to determine if including short-term rentals in the Business Licencing By-law is the right fit for our community, and what standards may be part of the regulation process going forward.