New short-term rental regulations coming soon to Halifax

In just over a week, new regulations around short-term rentals will be in effect in Halifax.

Halifax Regional Council voted in February to proceed with the regulations that will dictate where a short-term rental, like an Airbnb, can operate.

In a residential zone, an Airbnb can only be run within the owner’s home.

Some who own more than one property have decided to sell rather than be forced into shifting to a long-term rental.

“We’re definitely starting to see the effects of that," says real estate agent Brehannah Hopgood.

“There have been Airbnbs that have come up for sale and sold throughout the summer months, but I think, as we approach September 1, we are going to see more and more coming for sale.”

There are 2,000 short-term rental properties in Halifax. City staff say about 1,350 of them will be impacted by the new rule that is designed in part to bring more homes into the market.

“I do think that it is going to make a difference in terms of the inventory available for renting and for buying,”Hopgood says.

Short-term rentals in next-door commercial zones will not be affected by the rule change.

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