Short-term rental operators ponder future as N.S. regulations loom
Nova Scotia’s new regulations around short-term rentals take effect Sept. 30 and a lot of people aren’t happy with the changes.
Mike Cowie is one of them. For the last four years he has operated property in the north end of Halifax as an Airbnb.
“We became super host, five-star super host this summer. We hosted 112 tourists,” Cowie says
His rental units will not be open much longer. The new provincial regulations will require short-term rentals to comply with municipal bylaws. Zoning changes are putting Cowie and others out of business.
“It’s pretty heavy-handed, it’s pretty big brother,” says Cowie. “Why should some bureaucrat tell me a property owner how I should run my business?”
Cowie has had to cancel some reservations for the fall. He says short-term rental operators aren’t the only ones who will suffer. …[Continue Reading]