Calgary City Council approved changes to the Business Licence Bylaw to require a business licence and regulations for short term rental (STR) hosts in Calgary.

The good host guide was developed to provide hosts with an overview of regulations and processes, including tips and a checklist. The good guest guide​ was developed to provide knowledge on expectations, accommodation practices and support through booking to stay.

A short term rental is defined as the business of providing temporary accommodation for compensation, in a dwelling unit or portion of a dwelling unit for periods of up to 30 consecutive days. Businesses that have been issued a permit for a bed and breakfast are not classified as short term rentals.

As of February 1, 2020, the Business Licence Bylaw includes a two-tiered business licence category for short term rental hosts. All hosts must have a separate short term business licence for each property they rent out. Tier 2 licensees must obtain a fire inspection for the short term rental property before the business licence will be issued.
Tier 1: 1 to 4 rooms offered for rent = $100 per property
Tier 2: 5 or more rooms offered for rent = $172 per property plus the cost of a fire inspection of $104 per property

A secondary suite is a self-contained dwelling unit within principal residences or in backyards. They have separate living, cooking, sleeping, and bathroom facilities. Some hosts may choose to rent a secondary or backyard suite as a short term rental. In this case, the suite must meet the requirements for a legal secondary suite. If being used as a short term rental, the host must have a short term rental licence. For more information, visit on secondary suites Calgary.ca/suites.

Please note that secondary suites are not permitted within a dwelling unit that operates as a lodging house.

Short term rental hosts need to be aware of the following regulations under the Business Licence Bylaw:

The City’s approach is to achieve voluntary compliance for bylaws whenever possible. This means we will work with hosts when possible to ensure they are complying with the bylaw. Failing to abide by the regulations can result in a $1,000 fine for each of the following offenses upon conviction:

A lodging house is defined as the business of providing sleeping or lodging accommodation for compensation for three or more persons in the same dwelling unit for periods of 30 or more consecutive days, where each person has entered into a separate rental agreement.

With this new definition, some operators who previously were licensed for a lodging house may now be categorized as a short term rental. Operators should maintain their current licence and apply for the STR licence in Feb. 2020.

To apply for a lodging house business licence, go to calgary.ca/myBusiness

An operator must keep a record in English and in an electronic form that is satisfactory to the Chief Licence Inspector. Operators must keep a permanent record for each transaction and provide it to the Inspector upon demand. The record must include:

• full name and email address of a paid guest
• room of the dwelling the person is staying in
• duration of their stay

A guest record template is available here​.

The purpose of this regulation is to ensure transparency of operators for guests and the Chief Licence Inspector.

For compliments or complaints regarding short term rentals and lodging houses, call 311, use the app or go to Calgary.ca/311

For more information about business licensing, visit: Calgary.ca/myBusiness and Bylaws related to businesses​.

For more on long-term rentals of secondary suites, visit calgary.ca/suites