Mississauga to Start Licensing Short-Term Accommodation Operators  

Today, the City’s General Committee received a staff report on a proposed by-law that will require operators of short-term accommodation rental properties to legally license them with the City. Pending approval at Council, the new by-law will go into effect on January 19, 2021. It will apply to anyone renting out all or part of their home for 30 consecutive days or less.

According to the staff report, short-term accommodation operators will be required to:

• obtain a licence in order to operate in Mississauga
• only rent from within their principal residence, which is the location where they live for the majority of the calendar year and the address that is used for bills, identification, taxes and insurance.

“Short-term accommodations are here to stay in Mississauga. It’s important that operators are licensed in order to ensure public safety and maintain community standards across the City,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “By regulating those who rent their homes on a short-term basis, local residents and visitors to the City can be assured that these properties operate safely and in compliance with applicable laws.”

“The main objective of the Short-Term Accommodation By-law is to ensure public safety and maintain community standards,” said Sam Rogers, Director, Enforcement. “Officers will be better equipped to respond to public complaints and address nuisance issues such as noise, garbage and parking. We will also improve our ability to remove any high-risk operators from online platforms quickly and permanently.”

To obtain a licence, operators must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Produce proper government-issued identification
• Provide contact information for the person responsible for short-term accommodation
• Show evidence that the rental is in a principal residence
• Post the City-issued licence number in all print or online advertisements
• Pay an annual licensing fee of $250
• Comply with the Short-Term Accommodation By-law, coming January 2021

Current and new operators will be able to obtain their licence online at mississauga.ca/STA starting Spring 2021.

More information about short-term accommodation licensing is available at mississauga.ca/STA.

Tags

• By-laws and Policy
• Enforcement and Fines