If you’re looking to make some extra money renting out a property – or even a room – on a short-term basis, the Town of Aurora might soon require you to get a business license.
The potential need for a license is one of the recommendations coming out of a staff report looking at ways to “ensure safety, maintenance, and upkeep” of licensed properties, including those listed on platforms like Airbnb.
A key recommendation is requiring “all short-term rentals (STR) and bed and breakfasts to obtain a business license and post a sign on their property to identify the premises as an STR business.”
Further recommendations, if ultimately approved by Council at the end of this month, will limit one STR or bed and breakfast approved for one lot or one dwelling unit on a lot, require one off-street parking space for each bedroom unit, and set a maximum of six guests and three bedrooms for STR use.
Data brought together by the Town estimates there is anywhere between 56 and 115 unique STR properties in Aurora, numbers which fluctuate seasonally. Such rentals can cost an average of $113 per night and 68 per cent of these opportunities were found classified as single-family homes.