Short-term rental
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Short-term rentals have been a controversial topic since their use has increased significantly, particularly in tourist towns. Faced with this phenomenon, which creates certain neighbourhood problems with permanent residents, the Town of Sutton has also had to take into account two other considerations: on the one hand, the undeniable economic contributions of short-term rentals to local commercial and tourist activities, and on the other hand, its impact on the reduction of long-term rental housing stock.
Proposed regulatory amendments
After having carefully analyzed all the issues raised by the short-term rental, the Town of Sutton has submited to the population proposals for regulatory changes that will govern the practice throughout the territory.
A pragmatic and reasonable approach
On April 6, Council abolished the Short-Term Rental Policy that had been in effect since 2013, but no longer met the current situation. It then temporarily subjected tourist accommodation to the zoning by-law that defines the zones in which the C-507 use l’usage C-507 is permitted.
Rather than create a new by-law on short-term rentals, the Town chose to use the regulatory tools at its disposal, namely the Zoning By-law (in French only) and the Conditional Use By-law (in French only), by proposing targeted and relevant amendments. Short-term rentals of principal residences would continue to be permitted throughout the territory, while those of secondary residences would be subject to a much more restrictive framework.
In its reasoned approach, the Town has thus favoured regulatory adjustments that should reduce the nuisance caused by short-term rentals while encouraging the return to the market of long-term rental properties that are increasingly lacking.
The population called upon to give its opinion
The Town’s proposed regulatory changes will be presented to the public in a transparent manner. On September 22, presentation documents that provide an understanding of proposals entire process have been be posted on the Town’s website for the public to review. From there, a public meeting has been held on Thursday, September 29, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., to present the Town’s proposals in person and answer questions from the public. The recording of this meeting is available in the video area on this page.
The public now has then have 30 days, between October 5 and November 4, 2022, to submit their comments by mail, email, or form. Details will be announced at the public meeting.
The Urban and Land-Use Planning Department will compile these comments to integrate them into the current revision of the urban plan and regulations.
The Town of Sutton wishes, at the end of this process of analysis and concerted proposals, to offer a perennial solution to this important question of short-term rentals in Sutton.
Modifications in progress
On July 5, 2023, Council adopted an interim control by-law (see below in News) which, for the time being, prohibits short-term rentals in secondary residences in the village core area. Further changes to the short-term rental regulations are expected and will be communicated as soon as possible.
Short-term rental: new regulations and guidance documents
The Town of Sutton has adopted new by-laws, effective November 22, 2023, concerning tourist accommodations and short-term rentals. Guides, currently online, have been produced by the Urban and Land-Use Planning Department to accompany authorization requests, depending on the type of residence.
Key points of the new regulations
The list of new regulations that came into force on November 22, 2023 can be found in the Short-Term Rental section of the website (full list of regulations available here).
The new regulations include the following obligations:
- A report of compliance with current fire safety standards must be issued by the Public Safety Department, following a visit to the site covered by the application;
- The tourist residence must also comply with current health and nuisance standards;
- A written engagement signed by the operator to comply with the following points must be provided:
- Ensure compliance with municipal regulations on nuisances, safety and sanitation;Display inside the establishment the certificate of authorization issued by the town and an information sheet on regulations applicable to tourist residences;
- Ensure adequate surveillance of the leased premises;
- The operator must keep a rental register containing, as a minimum, the following information:
- The name and address of each tenant;
- Date and duration of stay;
- At the Town’s request, the operator must provide it with a copy of the register to enable it to monitor and enforce municipal regulations;
- A person or legal entity, or an ultimate beneficiary of a legal entity, may not own, in whole or in part, more than one building in which one tourist residence is authorized as an accessory use;
- The maximum capacity of a principal residence is set at two (2) travellers per bedroom, without exceeding the capacity of the septic installations or a maximum of 8 people;
- The use of an accessory building for tourist accommodation is prohibited;
- An attestation certifying that the septic system complies with the Règlement sur l’évacuation et le traitement des eaux usées des résidences isolées (Q-2, R.22), particularly with regard to the hydraulic capacity of the system in relation to the number of bedrooms.
- Where the drinking water supply does not come from a municipal water supply system, a certificate from a laboratory accredited by the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, certifying that the drinking water is of good quality and meets the standards set out in current regulations;
- New tourist home establishments are only authorized under the Conditional Use By-law, inside a main residential building existing on June 1, 2023, with the exception of zones included in the Urbanization Perimeter – Downtown Sector, identified in the Master Plan, and Conservation (CONS) zones;
- In all other zones, a quota for tourist residence establishments has been established:
- Zones included in the urbanization perimeter – Maple sector
- 200-metre distance
- Agricultural zones (A) :
- 1 establishment per zone and 500-meter setback
- Other zones:
- 1 establishment per zone and 300-metre setback
- Zones included in the urbanization perimeter – Maple sector
Guidance documents
The Urban and Land-Use Planning Department has just produced a number of documents to help citizens who wish to apply for a short-term rental permit. Depending on the type of tourist accommodation authorized, you will find in each case a guide explaining the detailed procedure to follow and the applicable framework (actually in French, translation to come):
- New tourist accommodation establishment
- Existing tourist residence
- Tourist accommodation in a bed and breakfast
- Tourist accommodation in principal residence
Application for municipal authorization
In addition to CITQ authorization, municipal authorization is required to operate a tourist accommodation establishment.
To apply for a municipal authorization and find out what documents are required, see the “Short-term rental” section on the Application for a Permit or Certificate page.
Adoption of an interim control by-law
On July 5, 2023, Council adopted By-Law No. 328 entitled “Interim Control by-law concerning housing issues and the quality of drinking water from a private supply system”. For the time being, this by-law prohibits short-term rentals in secondary residences located in the village core area.
Pending further changes to the short-term rental by-law, citizens wishing to obtain more information are asked to send detailed questions by e-mail to [email protected], so that the Urban and Land-Use Planning Department can respond according to their situation and/or current project.
Short-term rental: the Town has submitted its new regulatory proposal
The Town presented a new proposal for a regulatory approach to short-term rentals at the public meeting held last Saturday, April 22, 2023. The 40 or so people in attendance or in line also heard an excellent presentation by Professor David Wachsmuth and doctoral student Chloé St-Hilaire on short-term rentals and the housing problem in the Eastern Townships.
This latest draft of the Town’s regulatory proposal is the result of a careful analysis of the issues surrounding short-term rentals, their positive and negative impacts and the concerns expressed by citizens through the comments received. A distinction is made between short-term rentals of primary residences (permitted throughout the Town) and short-term rentals of tourist residences, known as commercial tourist accommodation, which would be subject to several conditions. In both cases, prior to obtaining any authorization from the Town, certifications would be required concerning the compliance of the septic installation, fire safety compliance and the quality of the drinking water.
The proposals will be submitted to Town Council, which is expected to decide on their adoption at its June 7 meeting.
The presentation document (English version coming soon) has been posted on the Dream Sutton website, in the Useful Links section.
The public meeting was recorded and can be viewed on the Town’s YouTube channel in the Information Sessions section.
Meeting with citizens on short-term rentals on Saturday, April 22, 2023
After having to be cancelled on March 18, the meeting with citizens on short-term rentals will be held next Saturday, April 22, from 1 to 4 p.m. The purpose of this information session is to present to the population the regulatory changes concerning short-term rentals that will soon be proposed to Council for adoption as part of the revision of the Urban Plan.
Information reminder
These regulatory changes are the result of extensive analysis and consultation on the key issue of short-term rentals. First, the Town held a public meeting on September 29, 2022, to present the issues and listen to citizens’ comments. Then, from November to December, the Town collected comments, suggestions and opinions from approximately 50 citizens, which were posted online.
After reviewing all of this information and considering that changes to our bylaws must be made to respond to Council’s orientations, the Town of Sutton invites you to come and hear the explanations that will be given at this public meeting on March 18.
Professor David Wachsmuth’s conference
At the invitation of the Town, Professor David Wachsmuth, Associate Professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance, will be sharing his knowledge of urban planning, particularly in the area of short-term rental.
The meeting will be recorded and broadcast live on the Town’s YouTube channel (in “En direct” and “Séance d’information” sections).
Meeting with citizens on short-term rentals on Saturday, March 18 (CANCELLED)
As announced by the mayor at the last council meeting, a citizens’ meeting on short-term rentals will be held on Saturday, March 18, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., to present to the population the regulatory amendments that will soon be proposed to council for adoption as part of the revision of the urban plan.
These amendments are the result of extensive analysis and consultation on the key issue of short-term rentals. First, the Town held a public meeting on September 29, 2022, to present the issues and listen to citizens’ comments. Then, from November to December, the Town collected comments, suggestions and opinions from approximately 50 citizens, which were posted online.
After reviewing all of this information and considering that changes to our bylaws must be made to respond to Council’s orientations, the Town of Sutton invites you to come and hear the explanations that will be given at this public meeting on March 18.
Professor David Wachsmuth’s conference
At the invitation of the Town, Professor David Wachsmuth, Associate Professor at McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance, will be sharing his knowledge of urban planning, particularly in the area of short-term rental.
The meeting will be recorded and broadcast live on the Town’s YouTube channel (in “En direct” and “Séance d’information” sections).
Citizen Comments on Short-Term Rentals Posted Online
All the comments that were sent by our citizens on the short-term rental are now online.
At the September 29 public meeting on the fundamental issue of short-term leasing, the Town called on those affected or interested in the issue to provide input on the proposed changes by November 4.
No less than fifty-two people participated in this vast collection of comments, opinions, suggestions, and questions. We would like to thank our citizens for their active contribution and for the quality of their interventions,” commented Mayor Robert Benoît. Given the number of responses and the importance we attach to this subject, we wanted to take the time necessary to analyze and respond to them as part of our process of revising the urban plan.”
As this document is not immediately translated, the comments have been published in their original language and the responses are provided in the same language.
A new public meeting planned in February
As announced by the Mayor, a new public meeting will be held in February (date to be confirmed shortly). The Town wishes to present new proposals for regulatory changes that take into account the feedback received.
Citizens’ meeting on short-term rentals
The Town of Sutton held a public meeting on September 26, 2022, about short-term rental regulations. Approximately 60 citizens attended.
The mayor outlined the process, supported by the documents presented, and answered questions. The meeting was recorded on video and can be accessed here in the Videos area on the right of this page.
The public has until November 4, 2022, to file written comments on the proposed regulatory changes.
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Approach
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Press conference 22 September 2022 Presentation to the press of proposed regulatory changes |
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Public meeting 29 September 2022 Meet face-to-face with citizens to present proposals and answer questions. |
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Comments submission 4 November 2022 The public has 30 days, between October 5 and November 4, 2022, to file comments, either by mail or email at [email protected]. |
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Report on the results of the consultation 27 January 2023 |
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Meeting with citizens 22 April 2023 Public presentation of a regulatory proposal within the frame of the revision of the urban plan |
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Adoption of new short-term rental regulations 1 November 2023 |
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New short-term rental regulations come into effect 22 November 2023 |
Documents
The documents will open in a new window.
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Town of Sutton – Short-term rental – Proposals for by-law amendments |
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Town of Sutton – Short-term rental – Reference document – Context and analysis |
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Proposed Regulatory Approach to Short-Term Leasing - April 22, 2023 Presentation |
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Presentation at the Consultation Meeting on September 27, 2023 (In French only) |
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Guidance document: Nouvel établissement d’hébergement en résidence de tourisme (translation to come) |
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Guidance document: Établissement de résidence de tourisme existant (translation to come) |
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Guidance document: Hébergement touristique en gîte touristique (translation to come) |
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Guidance document: Hébergement touristique en résidence principale (translation to come) |
Videos
This page was last modified : 7 February 2024