The federal government is allocating $50 million to regulate short-term rentals across Canada, although much of New Brunswick may not benefit due to existing regulatory gaps.
Rental Reform
To access a piece of the Short Term Rental Enforcement Fund pie, municipalities and Indigenous communities, and, by limited exception, provinces and territories, will need to have existing strict short-term rental regulatory regimes in place, including:
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Main Home Only Rule: You can only offer your primary residence for short-term rentals.
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Licensing: Owners need a permit to rent out their properties briefly.
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Rule Enforcement: A program that ensures these rental rules are followed.
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Extra Limitation: There's an additional rule to further limit short-term rentals in local areas.
“Our new Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund will help cities with their important work to ensure our existing supply of housing is used for Canadians to live in,” stated Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
“This is a significant step in our work to ensure that everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home,” added Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
Currently, New Brunswick does not have a comprehensive provincial regulatory framework specifically for short-term rentals. Although more than 6,000 short-term rentals were recorded across the province in 2023, Fredericton is the only city in New Brunswick that has implemented a bylaw addressing the issue. The regulations require that property owners can only rent out their units for periods shorter than 28 days if they live in the same building, although this rule has faced enforcement challenges. Other cities, like Moncton, are still in the process of considering regulations.
According to federal government’s press release issued Dec. 3, funding will be used to help municipalities increase enforcement and compliance activities, such as hiring enforcement staff, managing complaints, and conducting inspections. Applications can be submitted starting December 16, 2024, until January 24, 2025.
In 2023, there were at least 812 people experiencing homelessness across New Brunswick, with a significant portion of them in the province's three largest cities: Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton.
