term rentals. Cities reviewed were New York City, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. The scan is included in Attachment 1.

Concerns related to short-term rentals fell into the four categories described above: impact on housing availability and affordability, impact on neighbourhoods, impact on economic development and tourism, and impact on taxation. The impact of short-term rentals on housing availability and affordability was the primary concern for most cities when developing regulations.

following criteria: the number of days per year a unit can be rented, the built form of the building, whether the unit rented is the primary residence of the operator. whether the operator is present during the stay. Four cities studied require that short-term rental operators register or obtain a licence or permit from the municipality to operate.

Most cities reviewed have a formal relationship with Airbnb and some other short-term platforms. In four cities studied, Airbnb remits a lodging or hotel tax and in one case. sales tax, to the state, county or municipality. In some cases, short-term rental platforms are required to post the municipal permit or registration number on the rental ad and remove illegal listings from websites.

More thorough research of these cities and others in North America and Europe will be carried out to identify the strengths and weaknesses associated with the approaches other cities have taken to short-term rentals.

Background on City's work on the sharing economy

The City's approach to short—term rentals is part of a broader consideration of the role of government as a regulator in the sharing economy. On October 29, 2015, ML&S, in partnership with MaRS Solutions Lab, hosted a forum called "The Sharing Economy: What is the role of government?". The event brought together experts to discuss opportunities and challenges for an audience of government staff and decision makers from across Ontario.

Since that event, ML&S has continued to work with the Province of Ontario and. through their contributions, worked in partnership with MaRS Solutions Lab to develop a framework. This included participating at workshop sessions that brought together key experts. government staff. and industry players to discuss regulations for short-term accommodations. As a result, MaRS Solutions Lab produced a report headed "Shifting Perspectives: Redesigning regulations for the sharing economy", which included a section on regulations related to shared accommodations, and which will shape the work described below.

Plan to review regulating short-term rentals in Toronto

Staff will undertake work to develop an approach to short-term rentals in the City. The work will be led by ML&S and City Planning with support from a number of City divisions, including Social Development, Finance and Administration; Corporate Finance; Toronto Fire Services; Toronto Building; Shelter. Support and Housing

Developing an approach to regulating short-term rentals