Neighbours on a quiet street in Bradford West Gwillimbury are urging town council to do something about a nearby “nightmare” house being rented on Airbnb.
In the last few months, the two-storey house on Blue Dasher Boulevard has been host to multiple loud parties to which South Simcoe police and town bylaw enforcement officers have repeatedly been called, BWG resident Rick Turner recently told council.
And in all of BWG and Innisfil, South Simcoe police have only ever received complaints about one Airbnb property — and it is in Bradford, according to Deputy Chief Robin McElary-Downer.
“Short-term rentals like Airbnb and (Couchsurfing) have been popular for some time… When they are used correctly, they seem to work. I’m here to tell you about a nightmare listing on my street,” Turner told council.
A few weeks ago, police were called to the house due to a loud party, he said.
“There were about 10 cars parked on our street. There were cars parked on sidewalks. There were various groups of younger adults wandering the streets until about 2:30 in the morning,” he said. “As a father of two young children and living on a street with a lot of young children, this is concerning.”
BradfordToday has not heard back from the home’s owner after multiple attempts at reaching him for comment.
Most recently, police were called to the house May 2 after about 50 people arrived in a bus for a party, Turner wrote on Facebook, noting most of the people had cleared the area by 1 a.m.
It was the second night in a row the house had been used for a party, he wrote.
“Currently, if you’re to rent out your basement as a long-term rental, you do have to pass certain bylaws (and) submit certain plans to town. However, if you want to rent your couch or … basement for a single night, there is no requirement,” Turner told council.
“It doesn’t seem this has been a huge issue to-date, but I could see it becoming more and more prevalent as time goes forward.”
Turner called on council to initiate a staff report about short-term rentals in town to give bylaw and police “some teeth” when enforcing complaints. There are currently no town bylaws about short-term rentals.
“Police were called at least three times on the weekend for one property. To me, that’s a waste of police resources,” he said. “To see multiple cruisers on your street that’s generally pretty quiet is a little disheartening.”
The short-term rental issue is one Town of BWG staff have been investigating since at least last fall, when town planner Brandon Slopack wrote in a report staff are looking at options before making official recommendations.
Variables include fees and licensing, quantity of days a property can be rented per year, quantity of guests, maximum length of rental period, insurance, parking, and nuisance and enforcement, Slopack wrote.
In light of Turner’s concerns, Councillor Ron Orr requested a staff report on short-term rentals, which is expected to come before the town’s committee of the whole later this year.
Town Clerk Rebecca Murphy said bylaw staff is looking into complaints of “noise and use of property” for one specific Airbnb rental.
Since there are no short-term rental-specific bylaws, complaints are zoning bylaw issues — the same as long grass, noise, and property standards, she said.
Many municipalities are creating new bylaws to deal with short-term rentals, which are a newer issue, she added.
“It’s the same thing as Uber. Municipalities have to see how to respond,” Murphy said.
For police, “we’ve only had complaints about one property, and that’s in Bradford. I expect we’ll get more as summer comes up,” McElary-Downer said.
Police from its community mobilization unit are currently working with the complainant, property owner, and bylaw officers to find “the right solution,” she said.
“What we saw was the younger generation renting out the property for a party house,” she said, noting it is similar to 25 years ago when young people would rent a hotel and “things would get a little bit wild and loud.”
There has been no significant damage to inside the house, she added, but the parties have left it “messy” with beer bottles strewn about.
This one particular house has been on police officers’ radar for the last three to four weeks, she said.
The homeowner “wants to do the right thing,” she said, but he and renters could face criminal charges of mischief if they continue not allowing neighbours to enjoy their properties.
Particularly in light of the shooting death of an 18-year-old student at a prom after-party in Whitchurch-Stouffville last week, which was at an Airbnb property, police are taking the Bradford complaints seriously.
McElary-Downer said police are happy to give any Airbnb users free advice on how to safely and responsibly rent out their properties.
Angie Bifolchi, a mother of three, lives next door to the Blue Dasher Airbnb house and said the incident in Whitchurch-Stouffville has made her dead-set against short-term rentals.
She said the one in her neighbourhood started as a typical rental once the current owner, who she said does not live in the house, bought the property last fall.
By the end of March, there were parties being held there almost weekly.
She said it was the party with a busload of teenagers that was "the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
“(On Airbnb), the hosts set out rules they hope the guests will follow. At this point, I’m quite done with it,” she said.
The home is listed on Airbnb twice — one as “Beautiful House with 4 bedrooms” for $175 a night, and another as “Beautiful Private room” for $53 a night.
As of Thursday afternoon, the policies include no parties (or everyone will have to leave the premises and there will be a $500 charge); quiet time between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. (or renters will be charged double and may be removed); no music allowed during quiet time; backyard access and opening windows are not permitted; renters will be charged double if any extra people not part of the reservation are present; and renters will be charged at least $500 if any rules are broken.
But after months of parties, Bifolchi said there is now a “huge crevice” in her relationship with her neighbour.
“You compromised my family’s safety. No one should be subjected to this,” she said, adding she now keeps tracks of his public Airbnb bookings every day. “It’s like running a hotel. I do feel for him, but he brought it on himself.”
