Madawaska Valley’s Mayor says he likes the idea of stronger regulations for the short-term accommodations industry and moves that would allow more cottages to become family homes.
Mark Willmer says he’s glad his council passed a motion to call on Ontario to create a registry system for cottage rentals, in light of a rise in brokerage companies.
He says the cottage rental industry has become like the “wild west” and many properties are now owned by investors who have no connection with the municipality their property sits on and may not tell their renters about local rules.
“There are many positives, in that it brings new people into the community,” Willmer says. “But a lot of these (cottaged) are being acquired by people out of the area and they don’t come to the area and start renting it out.
“We have had noise complaints and other complaints; fireworks going off when they’re not supposed to. But, like anything, there are good owners and ones that aren’t so good.”
Willmer says he likes the idea of a registry; that way bad owners can be flagged and removed from the system. And Willmer believes such removals could eventually lead to more cottages being added to the housing market.