Short-term rentals in Toronto: UPGo city spotlight

Abstract

At the end of August 2019, Ontario’s Local Planning Appeal Tribunal will consider whether to allow the City of Toronto’s short-term rental (STR) bylaws to go into effect. In order to help provide a solid empirical basis for decision making, in this brief report we shine a data spotlight on STR activity in Toronto. We examine active daily listings, the spatial distribution of listings, which STR platforms are used in Toronto, the prevalence of different listing types, a breakdown of listings by number of bedrooms, revenue distribution and commercial operators, housing loss caused by conversions to STRs, and listings likely in violation of the City’s requirement that listings be operated by the principal resident.

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David Wachsmuth
Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance

My research interests include urban governance, local sustainability, and the impact of short-term rentals on housing markets.

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