Short Term Rental Accommodations Licensing

The Short-Term Rental Accommodation (STRA) program was initiated by the Town to ensure all rentals operate safely and in accordance with the Fire Protection Standards and the Ontario Building Code. Residents and property owners who wish to rent out rooms or entire units for a period of 30 days or less, are required to obtain a license.

Any STRA providers offering rentals of less than 30 days are required to charge and collect Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT). For more information on the MAT, please visit the Municipal Accommodation Tax page.

Licensing process

As of March 2023, the Town of Huntsville is accepting all STRA applications through our Cloudpermit software. The How to submit an application video provides information on the process, including how you can upload documents and submit your application. Please note, the video refers to buidling permits; however, the process is similar for STRA applications. The 2023 fees for new applications are set at $500 for principal residence and $750 for secondary residence. New applications have an average of 6 weeks to be issued. Renewal fees for 2023 are set at $250 for principal residence and $500 for secondary residence. All licenses expire on December 31^st of the year issued and cannot be assigned or transferred from the Licensee to another party. Applications for renewals will start to be reviewed November 1st and must be submitted to the town no later than the 1st weekend of February. Contact Town of Huntsville STRA staff with any questions.

New and renewal application requirements

Applicants are required to provide the following information for a new application:

Proof of ownership
Property information
Property Management Information
Proof that the applicant is at least eighteen (18) years of Age
Certificate of insurance (Highlight Rental Clause within Policy)
Links to the on-line listing for the property (e.g. AirBnB, HomeAway)
Waste Disposal Plan — see example
Site Drawings including — see example

Floor Plans of unit (exits to be identified)
Site Plan drawing
Fire Plan

Applicants will be required to provide the following information for license renewal:

Proof of ownership
STRA license number
Property management information
Certificate of insurance (with rental clause highlighted)
Links to the on-line listing for the subject property
Number of bedrooms and sleeping areas
Number of occupants

Apply for a new license or renew an existing license

Follow these steps to begin applying for or renewing a new license:

License review/issuance

Once the application has been submitted, staff will review the information provided, in consideration of Municipal and Provincial regulations to confirm compliance. Should the application be missing information or not conform to a regulation or by-law, the applicant will be advised via email. Applicants will be given the opportunity to update the application or provide any missing documentation and resubmit.

If the application is found to be in compliance, the applicant will be advised that a site inspection is required and must be arranged with the Department.

If a license must be denied, the applicant will also be advised, with the reasons for denial.

Site inspection

Upon completion of the application, the applicant will need to arrange a site visit with the STRA department. An inspector will attend the site at an arranged date and time to verify conformity of the unit with the submitted documents.

Items that will be verified during the site inspection include:

Number of bedrooms and sleeping areas
Fire safety equipment (fire extinguishers and smoke alarms)
Waste disposal
Parking locations
Exiting requirements
General upkeep and state of the building

Appeal process

Where the municipality has denied a license, a renewal of a license, or has suspended or revoked a license, the applicant shall be notified; setting forth the reasoning for the decision and provide information regarding the right to appeal to the Licensing Committee.

An applicant/licensee will have 14 days from issuance of the notice to file an appeal with the Municipal Clerk.

A Licensing Committee hearing will be arranged through the Clerks Office and will provide the opportunity for staff and the applicant/licensee to speak to the matter.

All decisions of the Licensing Committee shall be final and no decision shall be reheard.

Written notice shall be provided to the applicant/licensee within 14 days of the Committee's decision.

Questions & concerns

Questions?

Common Q&A list
Tips on neighbourly living and communicating with neighbours
Contact the Short Term Accommodation Licensing Officer or the Chief Building Official for more information

Community concerns

This program aims to encourage positive neighbourly and community communications. Please refer to the neighbourly living section of our website for handy tips on making these connections.

Information is provided to assist with direct communication between neighbours and to the operators or property managers of the short term rental.

If two valid non-concurrent complaints are lodged against a short term rental, the license will be revoked.

The Town of Huntsville By-law Department can help deal with community concerns such as excessive noise, improper burning, dogs running at large, etc. They can be reached during business hours at bylaw@huntsville.ca or phone at 705-789-1751.

If there are concerns after hours, please contact the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at 1-888- 310-1122.

Short term rental accommodation license status

This map provides the status of known short term rental accommodation as well as property management contact information.

Resources

Drawing examples for the application process

Site plan

A site plan shall include parking locations, the location of all buildings on the property and any site amenities including fire pits, docks, and other structures.

View a sample site plan

Floor plan

A floor plan shall include the rented areas of the units and shall indicate the use of each room, location of all exits, and all exterior decks.

View a sample floor plan

Fire plan

The fire plan shall indicate the location of exits, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors.

View a sample fire plan

Waste disposal plan

The Municipality requires that an application provide the renters direction on how garbage waste is required to be disposed of during and after each stay. For the application process, applicants must provide in writing whether there is a set garbage pick up day at the residence, if the property management company is in charge of waste disposal, or if it is up to the renters to take their garbage with them when vacating the property.

Please upload your STRA Waste Disposal Plan.

Municipal accommodation tax return form

Submit a short term municipal accommodation tax return form.

MAT RETURN FORMS

Fire safety tips for owners and renters

Rentals are not regulated like hotels and motels. Practice home safety in rentals just like you do at home. Make sure:

Everyone knows the address of the rental
There are working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area and on every storey of the rental
Everyone knows two ways out of every room, and out of the rental
All doors and windows that lead outside can be easily opened
To choose an outside meeting place a safe distance from the rental where everyone can meet and be accounted for

For more on fire safety and emergency planning, visit the fire and emergency services page or contact the Fire Department.

Safety guidelines

View the rental accommodations section of the Ontario public health measures.

Creating a unit

Check out our building and planning page for building requirements.

By-laws

Consolidated by-law 2021-49 being a by-law to amend by-law 2022-91 to license, regulate and govern short term rental accommodations.

Community Planning Permit by-law #2022-97

By-law 2019-123 municipal accommodation tax by-law.