The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Board of Directors has approved a cap on guest numbers and an increase on application fees for short-term rentals.
This comes as the RDEK amended its Short-Term Rental (STR) Temporary Use Permit (TUP) policy.
RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay says the regional government needs to review and make changes to policies to make sure they are as effective as possible.
“The Board has amended our current policy to increase application fees and allow a maximum of 10 people per parcel for staff-delegated applications,” said Gay.
“We know there are a number of operators who have not yet applied for a TUP, and we are urging them to apply prior to the end of the year before rates increase.”
Starting on Jan. 1, 2025, STR fees will increase from $1,000 to $1,500 for delegated applications and from $2000 to $3,000 for non-delegated applications.
The Board also moved to have future official community plans consider zoning changes to identify areas for STRs and added business licensing implementations to the RDEK’s 2024/2025 Priority Projects Plan.
“In the two years of public engagement and consultation leading up to the implementation of our STR regulations, the RDEK was limited in the options it could explore as business licencing in rural areas was not authorized by the province,” said Gay.
“Recognizing STRs were becoming increasingly popular in our region, the Board opted in favour of the TUP process as it was one of the strongest tools available to us.”
Gay says the provincial regulations caused some issues for the RDEK’s policy.
“Just a few months after we adopted our policy, the Province announced it was changing the rules and would be allowing regional districts to begin issuing business licences,” said Gay.
“The changing provincial legislation, all while trying to implement an entirely new process in our region, created delays, confusion and inefficiencies for both the public and our staff. Staff has been spending an incredible amount of time processing applications and that will continue until the Board adopts an alternative.”
Changes to the business licencing policy will likely take at least 24 to 36 months.
“We will continue to move forward with the STR TUP requirement and hope the amendments adopted by the Board will create greater certainty for applicants of what is supported in our region and clarity in the process itself,” said Gay.
So far, the RDEK has considered 121 applications. 110 were approved by delegated staff and eight were approved by the Board.
RDEK staff said the three that were refused were secondary units on a single parcel.
“Navigating this new landscape of STRs is challenging as we strive to ensure we have a strong policy that considers all perspectives,” said Gay.
“I’m grateful to staff for their resilience and for bringing forward options and recommendations for the Board to consider as we work to ensure our policy is as current, clear and consistent as possible.”
Residents who see non-compliant STRs are encouraged to submit complaint forms on the RDEK’s website.
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