Fines have been issued and appear to be prompting owners of short term rental accommodations in Gibsons to get on board with the town's residential guest accommodation (RGA) bylaw.
That bylaw, enacted on July 26 of last year, requires RGA operators to become licensed. Council subsequently extended the licensing grace period. It began enforcement on Feb 1, 2023.
At a Feb. 14 committee meeting, staff reported that 13 fines of $200 to owners of properties deemed to be operating an RGA and “marketing without a licence,” were issued that day. That number was down from 22 fines issued on Feb. 1 and again on Feb. 7.
Since Feb. 1, town bylaw enforcement staff have been monitoring short term rental marketing sites and cross-referencing those to properties that have licences issued or applied for. Owners of properties that have not contacted the town to start the RGA licencing process with current listings for units have been assessed a fine on a weekly basis. The bylaw permits such fines to be issued daily for non-compliance.
While Mayor Silas White expressed some concerns about people “digging in” and not seeking compliance after $600 worth of fines had been issued, senior bylaw enforcement officer Sue Booth stated the process “is getting people's attention
"Every week we are getting less. People have been reaching out to us and that is what we want."
Booth noted that one of the owners subject to a fine on Feb. 14 had since been in contact with staff. The approach that is being taken, she said would allow for “re-consideration” of fines issues if the owner is willing to work to bring the property into compliance.
Included on the meeting’s agenda was the planning department’s operations report for the final quarter of 2022. It noted that during the extended licensing enforcement grace period, staff contacted 71 unlicensed but known RGA operators and invited them to apply for permits. Of those operators, 24 opted to remove their listings, with the remainder in the application process or under enforcement action.
