Lindsay Domonkos is extremely disappointed.
New regulations introduced by the Town of Penetanguishene over the course of 2022 have left her unable to continue operating her home as a short-term rental (STR) accommodation.
The Penetanguishene mother of three recently left a full-time government job in order to spend more time with her kids. In order to generate income during the summer months, she decided to renovate her five-bedroom home at 21 Robert St. E. and list it on Airbnb.
She rented her property 30 times over the course of last summer and lived in a trailer at a campground outside of town while her home was occupied by renters.
“When I decided to move forward with this idea in March 2022, I checked the Penetanguishene website and there was nothing about a bylaw or any legislation for short-term rentals,” said Domonkos.’
On Nov. 9, the municipality passed a bylaw to regulate and govern short-term rental accommodations. This bylaw requires STR operators to apply for a licence, places limits on the number of rooms that can be operated and guests that are allowed to stay, and establishes a renter’s code of conduct, among other things.
The bylaw came into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
After finding out about the new regulations, Domonkos registered her Airbnb as a business, had face-to-face conversations with all her neighbours and applied for a licence assuming her property would be “grandfathered in.”
As it turns out, she unknowingly missed the cut-off date by nine days.
While the STR licensing bylaw came into effect in January, the town’s updated zoning bylaw, which places restrictions on where STR’s can operate, was approved on June 8. Domonkos’ property was registered with Airbnb on June 17.
The number of STR’s operating in Penetanguishene has dropped from 78 to 22 year-over-year due to the new restrictions.
Domonkos’ home is one of the 56 properties in the municipality that have been impacted by the legislation.
She addressed council during a June 14 meeting to inform the municipality about her current predicament. As of July 18, she had yet to receive a response.
Although Domonkos does have the option of applying to have her property rezoned to permit an STR operation, the application costs $2,500 and there is no guarantee the request would be approved.
Her home, which is one-block from the downtown core, is zoned Residential One.
For now, she’s operating as a bed and breakfast which is allowed under the current zoning.