The Residential Short-Term Accommodation Regulation review in Saskatoon is heading to a public hearing early in the new-year.

The City’s Planning Development and Community Services Committee has been presented with three options from administration on proposed regulations for home owners including those who offer Air B&B.

The President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Hotel and Hospitality Association says the options need to include operators of what he called de-facto hotels.

Jim Pence says the association has no problem with owners using rooms in their homes to generate extra revenue but they take exception to investors who snap up property and use the entire homes to offer accommodation.

He told the committee some investors are raking in huge revenue while only paying their residential taxes while the hotel industry is subject to commercial taxes and licensing fees.

Pence feels the none of the three options presented to the committee addresses this and finds it astonishing municipalities haven’t forced these owners to pay for commercial operations noting he is confident governments would find a way to tax the zombie apocalypse if it happened.

A city staff report indicates there were 610 listings for Air B&B’s in Saskatoon in October 2019 an increase of 500 over a four year period.

The options call for different licensing depending on whether the residences are used for short term accommodations, home stays or listed as short-term rental properties.

They also consider different licensing requirements depending on the number of guests.

All regulation review material including the options will go to the Municipal Planning Commission before the public hearing.