MUSKOKAN – Muskoka’s landlords are a little less restricted than their neighbours in Parry Sound.
A recent case in Georgian Bay has uncovered a long-standing ban against the renting of properties to short-term visitors in residentially zoned areas, including cottages. One lakefront homeowner in Carling Township was even threatened with a maximum fine of $25,000 if they continued to contravene the ban.
Here in Muskoka, property owners can be confident that there is no such restriction. The long-held summer tradition of renting out cottages to tourists is perfectly legal in the eyes of municipal enforcement officers.
Scott Stakiw, chief bylaw enforcement officer with the Town of Bracebridge, said owners currently don’t require any special zoning or licences to rent out their properties in his district.
“The Town of Bracebridge does not have a business licence requirement for rental properties at this time, although it is possible to enact such a bylaw,” Stakiw said.
Muskoka Lakes, Lake of Bays, the Township of Georgian Bay, Seguin Township, Gravenhurst and Huntsville also have no restrictions on owners who wish to rent out their property.
That should come as good news to the region’s many cottage landlords, as the money earned by renting out a property can be significant. Some owners credit the income from renting out their slice of Muskoka as crucial to being able to afford staying in the region. The benefits to renting may be clear, but there are substantial risks for both owners and the neighbourhood they occupy.
“In our experience, rental properties have the potential to create problems for seasonal and year-round residents given the higher turnover rate of the occupants,” said Stakiw.
“Unless the property owner is very proactive in communicating the various bylaws to all of the tenants and renters, they tend to have a disproportionate amount of complaints regarding such things as noise, burning, dogs at large, et cetera.”
While hosting temporary occupants who let their dogs run wild and hold raucous parties may make you unpopular with the neighbours, Bracebridge landlords can rest easy knowing that renters are held responsible for any bylaw violations they might commit, but that’s not the case everywhere.
In Huntsville, it is possible for a property owner to be charged for the actions of their renters. The total fire ban, which has been in effect for several weeks, has seen its share of violators – some of which are renters.
Andrew Stillar, a Huntsville bylaw enforcement officer, said the Outdoor Burning Bylaw does allow for property owners to be fined when their renters are in violation.
“For this particular bylaw, the owner could be held responsible for the actions of someone else, even if they’re not there,” Stillar said.
According to bylaw officers across the region, renters are more prone to bylaw violations than full-year or seasonal residents.
“That’s everything from noise complaints to garbage being left at the curb because someone may have woken up late and left it out at noon, and the garbage truck had already been by and they missed it by two hours,” said Stillar.
The most common cause of complaints about renters to the bylaw office is noise. Many renters, who tend to live far away from bodies of water, don’t seem to understand how clearly noise travels over a lake.
One strategy for reducing bylaw issues is to provide renters with as much information as possible. That can take the form of an information packet at the cottage, a short information session when a renter arrives or an email correspondence well in advance of a renter’s arrival.
Heather Bayer, a representative with cottage rental agency CottageLINK Rental Management, said that a lot of issues can be solved with a little upfront information.
“Part of being a responsible owner is taking responsibility for educating through the information given on listings, websites and by providing information in the cottage,” said Bayer.
“Things like telling them what is so different about cottage country. This might sound a bit odd, but telling them it’s going to be very dark and very quiet at night. We’ve even had complaints from people who didn’t realize it was going to be so dark and so quiet.”
There are a few actions that every Muskokan landlord can take before renting, to help ensure a positive experience for themselves, their renters and their neighbours. Familiarize yourself with the local bylaws, develop a package for renters so they’re aware of any of the relevant local rules, and lastly, always be careful of who you’re renting to.
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