The Slater | 66.6 m | 22 fl | Completed

[Neednothing]

Originally Posted by Sean1337

I'm on a condo board and Airbnb is certainly a priority issue.

No one wants a bunch of randoms coming in and out of your condo building. You have a brand new building that you want to keep prestine (you don't want your investment going down the drain and building become a slum), and your residents want to feel safe.

One condo I'm aware of discovered that prostitutes rented a condo for 2 weeks. They were seen bringing men up and down through the lobby.

Airbnb is also used for illegal stuff like drugs.

Another condo discovered they had an Airbnb problem because security/concierge staff reported that Airbnb owners were using security to distribute keys to renters which is not their job.

"The Merit" condo has a strict policy on short term rentals in their condo building.

In general most condos don't allow it for all the reasons stated above. Same goes for renting out parking spots.

Randoms. Prostitutes. Drugs. Men traversing the lobbies.
I can see how these buzzwords can put even the most progressive condo board member on edge.

The reality is that any building might have this activity regardless of its participation in short term rental market. For example, a high ratio of renter to owner occupancy could contribute to such activities. It need not be short term rentals alone. I wonder how the hotel industry survives.

The undesired activity described above is reflective of only a portion of short term rentals.

At any rate, the boards foremost concern, and this early in the life of the building is to ensure that the property is in good condition, meets and exceeds warranty status, and is on a trajectory for overall sustainability (marketed properly etc).

24 hour front-desk security, CCTV, and floor restricted access by fob only would settle some of your above concerns.

[kwoldtimer]

Don't many (most?) newer condo buildings prohibit the use of apartments for commercial purposes? I know mine does and I used that provision successfully to have the board instruct the owners of a couple of units that were listed for rent on Airbnb to desist. Absent such a provision, or some general prohibition on short term leasing, I don't know whether there's much a condo board could do, apart from the usual rules applying to all residences (peaceful enjoyment, etc).

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Don't many (most?) newer condo buildings prohibit the use of apartments for commercial purposes? I know mine does and I used that provision successfully to have the board instruct the owners of a couple of units that were listed for rent on Airbnb to desist. Absent such a provision, or some general prohibition on short term leasing, I don't know whether there's much a condo board could do, apart from the usual rules applying to all residences (peaceful enjoyment, etc).

Would you classify long-term lease e.g. investor buying a condo and renting it out as commercial purpose?

If so, it is a slippery slope to go down, IMO. I do agree with you the provisions need to be clearly stated in the terms and conditions.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by canabiz

[B]Would you classify long-term lease e.g. investor buying a condo and renting it out as commercial purpose?

If so, it is a slippery slope to go down, IMO. I do agree with you the provisions need to be clearly stated in the terms and conditions.

No, because the occupant is not in that case using the apartment for commercial purposes.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

No, because the occupant is not in that case using the apartment for commercial purposes.

Define commerce.

In both cases the owner of the dwelling is providing a service - a place to live/eat/sleep for a period of time - in return for a payment. The only difference between the 2 night B&B stay and the 12 month lease is the length of time.

[YOWflier]

Errr, the Landlord & Tenant Board may disagree with that being the ONLY difference.

Plus, kw referenced the occupant (and its intended use of the premises), not the owner.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Define commerce.

In both cases the owner of the dwelling is providing a service - a place to live/eat/sleep for a period of time - in return for a payment. The only difference between the 2 night B&B stay and the 12 month lease is the length of time.

Laws dating back hundreds of years make a pretty sharp distinction between the two. They are governed by different laws, face different types of taxation, etc. Saying they're the same is a little like saying babysitting and adoption are the same.

[YOWflier]

In one case we're dealing with residential tenancy, and in the other case, lodging.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Laws dating back hundreds of years make a pretty sharp distinction between the two. They are governed by different laws, face different types of taxation, etc. Saying they're the same is a little like saying babysitting and adoption are the same.

Oh I realize that the law treats them differently, but from a purely practical point of view they are very similar scenarios, except for the time-frame.

And the adoption example doesn't really work because the baby-sitting service provider (the baby sitter) usually gets paid for their child care, whereas the family providing the care of an adoptee doesn't get paid, though the time-frame aspect is similar. But I know what you're getting at.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Oh I realize that the law treats them differently, but from a purely practical point of view they are very similar scenarios, except for the time-frame.

And the adoption example doesn't really work because the baby-sitting service provider (the baby sitter) usually gets paid for their child care, whereas the family providing the care of an adoptee doesn't get paid, though the time-frame aspect is similar. But I know what you're getting at.

If I learned that someone in my building were running a daycare out of their apartment, I would expect my condo board to shut it down, based on the condo corp rules. On the other hand, I would certainly not raise an objection if a resident in the building were fostering a child or children.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Oh I realize that the law treats them differently, but from a purely practical point of view they are very similar scenarios, except for the time-frame.

The time-frame makes a lot of difference for the other residents of the building. Even if an airbnb client is well-behaved they still make their neighbours feel like they're in a hotel, which is presumably not what they wanted when they bought or leased a condo instead of living in a hotel.

I think the problem is there is no way to distinguish between someone who lives in a unit but wants to rent it out once or twice a year when they go on vacation, and someone who leases or buys a unit with the primary objective of putting it on airbnb (which sucks for the neighbours).

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by acottawa

The time-frame makes a lot of difference for the other residents of the building. Even if an airbnb client is well-behaved they still make their neighbours feel like they're in a hotel, which is presumably not what they wanted when they bought or leased a condo instead of living in a hotel.

I think the problem is there is no way to distinguish between someone who lives in a unit but wants to rent it out once or twice a year when they go on vacation, and someone who leases or buys a unit with the primary objective of putting it on airbnb (which sucks for the neighbours).

I think you just open a can of worms here, for a lack of a better word. Here is the scenario I have in my mind.

I bought an unit at the Slater (using this as an example but it should apply to any other condo) as a rental property. I rented it to Tenant A.

Tenant A goes on holiday and would like to *sublet* the condo for a number of weeks/months. Is it allowed? and if not then why not? Do I care that Tenant A is subletting or what Tenant A does or does not do in his/her time is none of my business, as long as his/her cheque doesn't bounce?

Would you guys consider *subletting* a simple form of AirBnB?

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by canabiz

I think you just open a can of worms here, for a lack of a better word. Here is the scenario I have in my mind.

I bought an unit at the Slater (using this as an example but it should apply to any other condo) as a rental property. I rented it to Tenant A.

Tenant A goes on holiday and would like to *sublet* the condo for a number of weeks/months. Is it allowed? and if not then why not? Do I care that Tenant A is subletting or what Tenant A does or does not do in his/her time is none of my business, as long as his/her cheque doesn't bounce?

Would you guys consider *subletting* a simple form of AirBnB?

No. Apart from anything else, there's no sublease with an Airbnb rental - the renter's remedies, if any, are elsewhere. I'd wonder what the implications would be for your insurance in the Airbnb scenario? - as a landlord, I could never limit my concern in the unit to "the cheque doesn't bounce". If it were me, the lease would prohibit short term rentals not covered by a sub-lease or assignment of lease (either also requiring my prior consent).

[YOWflier]

Originally Posted by canabiz

I think you just open a can of worms here, for a lack of a better word. Here is the scenario I have in my mind.

I bought an unit at the Slater (using this as an example but it should apply to any other condo) as a rental property. I rented it to Tenant A.

Tenant A goes on holiday and would like to *sublet* the condo for a number of weeks/months. Is it allowed? and if not then why not? Do I care that Tenant A is subletting or what Tenant A does or does not do in his/her time is none of my business, as long as his/her cheque doesn't bounce?

Would you guys consider *subletting* a simple form of AirBnB?

It very much is your business. Subletting is not allowed without consent of the landlord.

[canabiz]

I have started to see listings for this building on AirBnB. Here is one such example. Very nicely decorated place btw

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/10297519

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by canabiz

I have started to see listings for this building on AirBnB. Here is one such example. Very nicely decorated place btw

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/10297519

Wow, that's a very narrow unit. How would you classify it? It's not a 1BR, since there's no bed 'room' to speak of... more like a bed hall. Is this a bachelor unit?

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Wow, that's a very narrow unit. How would you classify it? It's not a 1BR, since there's no bed 'room' to speak of... more like a bed hall. Is this a bachelor unit?

Bachelor or studio... the "bed hall" is called the "Multi-purpose room"



https://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/ca/the-...ondos/1705---a

[canabiz]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Wow, that's a very narrow unit. How would you classify it? It's not a 1BR, since there's no bed 'room' to speak of... more like a bed hall. Is this a bachelor unit?

It does indeed look small. My beef is not about the space, however, it is about the price. I haven't had to book any hotel room downtown for a long time now but I wonder if you can get a more spacious room for less than $115 (what this host is asking for) a night using Priceline/Hotwire/Trivago/government discount, so on and so forth?

There are also university rez to consider for the summer...The market will ultimately responds, if the price is too high then people will look elsewhere.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by canabiz

It does indeed look small. My beef is not about the space, however, it is about the price. I haven't had to book any hotel room downtown for a long time now but I wonder if you can get a more spacious room for less than $115 (what this host is asking for) a night using Priceline/Hotwire/Trivago/government discount, so on and so forth?

There are also university rez to consider for the summer...The market will ultimately responds, if the price is too high then people will look elsewhere.

Downtown hotel rooms start at around 150 this time of year, so airbnb offers a noticeable discount.

[gjhall]

I did a quick look out of curiosity, and the best downtown hotel deal was priceline at about $156 incl all taxes per night - hotel prices in Ottawa have had a considerable bump lately.