City council examines new rules to regulate lodging houses amid neighbourhood concerns
Edmonton's Urban Planning Committee heard proposals Thursday to limit lodging houses to three-bedroom minimums and cap sleeping units between eight and twelve per property.
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City council's Urban Planning Committee is moving toward stricter regulations on lodging houses after hearing concerns from both homeowners and developers on Thursday.
The city's recent zoning changes have allowed landlords and property owners to operate lodging houses — buildings with four or more individually-rented bedrooms — in residential areas, prompting complaints from neighbours about increased activity, traffic, and parking congestion. Some homeowners say the regulations are being exploited.
Administration has proposed a suite of changes, including not permitting lodging houses within row housing or multi-unit housing, putting hard maximums of eight to 12 sleeping units per lot depending on zoning, reducing the minimum number of bedrooms to three, and requiring a specific lodging house permit. A minimum rental timeframe of 12 hours is also being suggested.
BILD Edmonton Metro supported the proposals, calling them "surgical amendments" that addressed concerns without disrupting the housing market. However, Ward O-day'min Coun. Anne Stevenson noted the new rules may not fully resolve the issue. She acknowledged that lodging houses meet a significant community need, serving not just students but also patients in Edmonton for medical purposes.
Enforcement has been challenging because regulations are ambiguous — it's difficult to determine whether a building is operating as a lodging house based on whether occupants have locks on bedroom doors. Since 1996, the city has approved 134 lodging house development permits. Council will discuss administration's recommendations later this month.
