Short Term Rental Accommodation

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

Request a short-term municipal accommodation tax return form, and we will send to the email address provided.

request a MAT return form

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 of the Short-Term Rental
• When a Short-Term Rental property has three valid non-concurrent complaints lodged, the license can be revoked. Before it can be re-licensed, a review from the Administrative Penalty Committee is required.
• 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 outside of Town By-law hours, please contact the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) at 1-888- 310-1122

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.

Memo: Short-Term Rentals

Essential Services COVID-19 - 2021-01-14

To: All Individuals operating a Short-Term Rental

The Province of Ontario has enacted a Province wide Shutdown to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The Stay at Home Emergency Order is in effect as of January 14, 2021 and remains in effect currently until February 11th, 2021. The CMOH recommends that all Ontarians stay home with trips outside of your home limited to essential purposes and within the community where you live.
The Province of Ontario has revised the Businesses Permitted to Open and Sector Specific Restrictions regarding COVID-19 and as part of that revision Short-Term Rental Accommodation Businesses now have the following restrictions:

Only to be provided to individuals who are in need of housing.

During this time, the Town of Huntsville will continue to review and issue Short-Term Rental Accommodation licenses. Failure to obtain a license will result in Administrative Penalties and fines being issued. Should a municipality place an order on a property, it is the responsibility of the property owner to remedy the situation within the timelines and requirements imposed. Any inspections or required enforcement will be done in conjunction with COVID-19 safe work practices.
For more information about these restrictions please visit ontario.ca . If you have concern that Work places are not following provincial protocols, you may wish to contact Stop the Spread at 1-888-444-3659.

As with everything, these directions are subject to changed based on further direction from the Province of Ontario or the Federal Government.

Should you have any questions please contact us for more information.

Ingrid Armstrong

Short-term Accommodation Licensing Coordinator
Town of Huntsville
ingrid.armstrong@huntsville.ca
705-789-1751 ext. 2402

• Consider if Town zoning requirements impact your property’s eligibility for a license
• Open the application to licence short term rental accommodation
• Applicant will be asked to provide drawings to help the Town identify how many rooms and overnight guests are allowed on the property. This will include:
  • site plan (parking locations, building locations, accessory structures)
  • floor plans
  • fire plans
  • how waste is to be managed on site
• A site inspection is arranged with the property owner to ensure that items such as the septic system, number of bedrooms and waste disposal are used responsibly to help mitigate environmental concerns

If property is not in compliance, staff will not issue the license until noted items have been addressed.