There might not be as many Airbnbs in the Grand Bend area come 2023.
Lambton Shores Council will vote on a proposed bylaw Tuesday which would see new rules put in place for short-term rentals. They include an annual license fee of $500, occupancy limits of 10 people per rental and the need for an "on-call" person at all times.
Mayor Bill Weber doesn't believe the bylaw will have a great impact on the area's tourism industry.
"There might possibly be some places that say 'it's not worth the trouble, I don't need to rent my place out, I won't,' and I think it will be beneficial to the full time residents of the area that they know there's some controls."
Weber said there are around 300 short-term rentals in the community. He said there are concerns with the number of rentals starting up and the vacationers that are using them.
"Just a little disrespect for the neighbours [in] some places, the numbers that are at the parties, the safety factor of some kind of inspection and maximum capacity is what we're looking at."
The community conducted an online survey on the matter which received over 1,400 responses. Weber said municipal staff took those responses and worked very hard to host different workshops for short-term rental groups, hotel groups, residential groups and other interested parties.
"We've come up with, I think a very balanced approach to this that should not discourage anyone from having a short-term rental, which is good for our tourist industry," he said. "But it also should have a little regulation there that full time residents are not jeopardized by having a short-term rental nearby."
Weber said the annual license fee would cover the cost of an added 24/7 complaints hotline and the monitoring of the short-term rentals.
"It's not to make money, it's just to cover the cost so the residential property owners aren't burdened with the cost of short-term rentals that are making a profit from renting their property."
If approved, the bylaw would come into effect next year.
-With files from Stephanie Chaves