Photo: Contributed

The cost of a business licence could be the most heated debate as the City of Kelowna creates short-term rental regulations over the next few months.

City council passed the planning department’s short-term rental regulatory direction during Monday’s meeting, but councillors had a few questions about how much residents might have to pay to list their properties on websites like Airbnb or VRBO.

“What would be perfect in a utopian world is that if you rented out your residence, condo or whatever it is, for 100 days out of the year, then you should pay a commercial rate based on those 100 days,” Coun. Brad Sieben said. “That’s something that makes it more fair with what other short-term accommodation providers have to pay.”

However, Kelowna’s community planning supervisor, Laura Bentley, indicated the licence’s cost would likely be more in line with cost recovery. Coun. Ryan Donn doesn’t want it to be too much, because it might cause people to continue renting out space illegally.

“If you put the price too high, then people don’t sign up,” Donn said. “The goal is to keep it as accessible as possible, so let’s get them on board. Let’s get them signed up and regulated.

“The first goal has to be to shift everybody from operating illegally, which is happening, to legally. Keeping that price low is going to encourage that shift.”

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