Short-Term Rental Bylaw Changes
In 2022 I initiated work between the City and the University of Calgary to investigate the state of short-term rentals in Calgary and potential pathways to regulation. This led to a two-year study conducted by the University of Calgary that explores a regulataory framework design, implementation, and impact assessment.
The goal of the work was to find a balance between addressing concerns related to housing availability and resource sharing and not over-regulating private industry. The study found that while short-term rentals have been steadily growing in Calgary, the roughly 5,000 units represent around 1% of our housing supply. Short-term rentals can sometimes be disruptive, but they also serve a purpose for local tourism and medium-term stays like those traveling for hopsital visits. An outright ban on them would likely be ineffective and lead to a new set of concerns and issues.
In November 2024, the University released its findings and recommendations. You can read the full report here. In December 2024, Council unanimously approved multiple amendments to the short-term rental bylaw derived from the study.
As of April 1, 2025, several changes to the short-term rental business license bylaw came into effect.
The graphic is a summary of the primary changes, but you can click here for more information on the exact details.
I appreciate that there will now be an explicit job at the City to monitor short-term rentals and look at the data moving forward. I've heard many concerns from constituents about the short-term rental market and its impacts to community, and I believe these amendments strike a balance in addressing concerns about the housing market without over-regulating industry.