Stronger Rules for Short-Term Rentals Can Relieve Housing Crisis

Too many Nova Scotians cannot find a place to live. The Province is making changes to how short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, are regulated to help make more long-term housing available.

This fall, the Province intends to introduce legislative amendments that will allow higher registration fees for these short-term accommodations. Fees will be based on the size of the community where they are located, and the Province will also increase fines for breaking registration rules.

The fee changes will not impact traditional accommodations such as hotels and motels.

“Nova Scotia is facing an unprecedented housing crisis. We’re working to get more housing built, but that takes time. In the meantime, houses and apartments that could be long-term homes are being rented short-term,” said John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We are concerned about the impact short-term rentals have on our housing market, and we are prepared to do more if necessary. We want more of these properties used for the long-term housing our communities desperately need.”

The Tourist Accommodations Registration Act will be renamed the Short-term Rental Registration Act. The Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing will take over responsibility for the act and the associated registry.

Once amendments to the act are passed, the Province intends to bring forward changes to regulations in April. The regulations will include the following details:

• higher annual registration fees for short-term rental accommodations such as Airbnbs, including homes, apartments and rooms in a home
• fees for units in a principal residence will be set at $10 across the province
• fees for units that are not located in someone’s home will range from $240 in the most rural communities to $3,600 in the centre of Halifax Regional Municipality
• fees for intermediate tourism zones and the borders of those zones will be determined through analysis and engagement
• fees for traditional accommodations will continue to range from $50 to $150 depending on the number of bedrooms
• higher maximum fines for operators and accommodations marketing platforms that don’t follow the rules.

The amendments to the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act will be introduced in the fall sitting of the legislature, which begins October 12.

Quick Facts:

• the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act came into effect in April 2020 and requires accommodations marketing platforms and operators that rent for 28 days or less to register with the Province every year by April 1
• in April 2023, accommodations within a host’s primary residence were added to the act, and platforms such as Airbnb and Expedia were required to list only accommodations with a valid registration number
• as of September, there were more than 6,000 registered short-term accommodations in Nova Scotia
• the Province has made more than $200 million in housing investments since 2022 to help Nova Scotians in need

Additional Resources:

Tourist Accommodations Registration Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/tourist%20accommodations%20registration.pdf

Tourist Accommodations Registry: https://beta.novascotia.ca/register-your-tourist-accommodation