Halifax’s local government is taking a slow approach to enforcing new short-term rental housing regulations.

“We first aim to work co-operatively with an owner/operator, but if our initial actions aren’t effective in gaining compliance, we have several options available,” Ryan Nearing, a Halifax Regional Municipality spokesman, told Saltwire.

“We can issue fines to operators in violation of an order, seek a court-ordered injunction to compel compliance with an order or forward a case for prosecution in the courts.”

A new short-term residential bylaw took effect September 1 in the Nova Scotia capital. Short-term rentals of vacant homes, apartments and condos are now only permitted in commercial zones. In residential areas, rental units may only occur in a host’s main residence.

However, the region’s council has directed staff to explore ways that rules may be adapted for short-term rental operators in rural areas, a municipality spokeswoman told Global.

Photo Credit: NovaScotia.com