Kelowna property owners with a short-term rental business licence will be allowed to keep operating when new provincial rules take effect on May 1, 2024.

That was the result of a 4-3 vote at city council乌鸦传媒檚 regular meeting on Monday (Jan. 15).

乌鸦传媒淭he existing licences that are in place, which is 498 of them, we will allow those to exist at this point,乌鸦传媒� said Mayor Tom Dyas.

The close vote was the result of tough debate amongst council.

乌鸦传媒淚 hear regularly from the public how frustrated they are that we can乌鸦传媒檛 bring the bad players under control and we don乌鸦传媒檛 seem to have the tools in our toolbox,乌鸦传媒� said Coun. Luke Stack. 乌鸦传媒淚 think that乌鸦传媒檚 why the province has jumped in and said if you guys can乌鸦传媒檛 fix it at the municipal level we乌鸦传媒檒l take a crack at it because we have a bigger toolbox.乌鸦传媒�

Provincial legislation defines short-term rentals as any accommodation provided to the public for less than 90 consecutive days and restricts them to a homeowner乌鸦传媒檚 principal residence.

Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 bylaw is more restrictive, less than 30 days, banning short-term rentals as a principal or secondary land use in mixed-use and residential zones with few exceptions.

READ MORE: B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 new short-term rental regulations approved after colourful debate

Staff recommended that 498 currently licenced secondary use short-term rentals be allowed to continue operating in Kelowna, even after May 1, with a 乌鸦传媒榣egally non-conforming乌鸦传媒� status, provided they meet provincial principal residence requirements.

乌鸦传媒淎re we putting more people on our streets, out of their homes and back into the rental market if we go more restrictive than the province has?乌鸦传媒� asked Coun. Gord Lovegrove.

Coun. Rick Webber said council must balance what is best for the community as a whole.

乌鸦传媒淚n listening to the discussion today the argument seems to be will this get more people into homes or will it force a lot of people out of their homes. That乌鸦传媒檚 a hell of a question to answer, and there is no obvious answer.乌鸦传媒�

A four-and-a-half-hour public hearing on the matter in November 2023 saw about 200 people pack council chambers. Staff estimate there are approximately 1,200 short-term rentals operating without a licence in Kelowna.

READ MORE: Kelowna residents 乌鸦传媒榟eard loud and clear乌鸦传媒� at public hearing on short-term rentals

Coun. Ron Cannan said he believed the province乌鸦传媒檚 approach is more balanced.

乌鸦传媒淏etween protecting people乌鸦传媒檚 property rights while respecting the rights I believe of the residents in the community.乌鸦传媒�

Council has also asked staff to put together a list of properties that may be exempt from the new legislation.

乌鸦传媒淲e can imagine that there is a good number of them that would be along the waterfronts and that were built with the purpose of short-term rentals,乌鸦传媒� Mayor Dyas added. 乌鸦传媒淎nd whether they (provincial government) would consider giving an exemption to this area to help with our tourism demands that we have, not only in Kelowna but in the Okanagan.乌鸦传媒�

Dyas, along with councillors Webber, Stack and Mohini Singh voted in favour of moving ahead with changes to short-term rentals in Kelowna, while councillors Lovegrove, Cannan and Charlie Hodge voted against.

Councillors Loyal Wooldridge and Maxine DeHart recused themselves from the discussion and vote citing conflicts of interest.

Wooldridge holds a short-term rental licence, and DeHart is employed by Ramada Hotels and owns two units on Sunset Drive.

READ MORE: Short-term rental rules may not affect Okanagan regional district