Nova Scotia’s new Tourist Accommodations Registration Act
Brian Tabor, QC and Jennifer Murphy
On April 1, 2020, Nova Scotia’s new Tourist Accommodations Registration Act and its regulations come into force, repealing and replacing the Tourist Accommodations Act. With the exception of those who rent short-term roofed accommodation within their primary residence, short-term roofed accommodations hosts and platform operators are required to register through an online system, and can do so starting April 1, 2020.
In March 2019, the Nova Scotia government announced changes to the tourist accommodations legislation, aimed at growing and supporting the tourism industry in Nova Scotia by making it easier for short-term accommodations operators to do business in the province. Under the former Tourist Accommodations Act, short-term rental providers were required to be licensed, and to follow overly specific rules – as specific as ensuring each rental unit is equipped with a shaded lamp that can be turned on or off from the bed, a receptacle to be used as an ashtray even in a non-smoking rental unit, and a closet or wardrobe for hanging clothes with a minimum of 8 coat hangers, among many other requirements.
Now, under the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act, short-term roofed accommodations hosts and platforms that facilitate the rental of short-term roofed accommodations are simply required to register in the Tourist Accommodations Registry (rather than be licensed), and gone are the overly prescriptive rules.
In addition, the annual registration fees due under the Tourist Accommodations Registration Act are reduced and simplified compared to the licensing fees under the predecessor legislation:
- $50 for hosts with 1-4 bedrooms available for short-term rental;
- $150 for hosts with 5 or more bedrooms available for short-term rental; and
- $500 for platform operators.
Annual registration fees would normally be paid on application; however, in recognition of the COVID-19 pandemic, registration fees for hosts and operators are deferred for the 2020-2021 operating year. Hosts and operators are still encouraged to register as close to April 1, 2020, as possible to ensure compliance with the new legislation.
This update is intended for general information only. If you have questions about the above, please contact a member of our Commercial Transactions/Agreements group.
Click here to subscribe to Stewart McKelvey Thought Leadership articles and updates.
Archive
Stewart McKelvey is pleased to announce the creation of Discovery: Atlantic Education and the Law, a publication specifically designed for universities and colleges. We know it is not always easy for institutions in Atlantic Canada…
Read MoreRick Dunlop and Kevin Landry New Brunswick’s Final Report of the Select Committee on Cannabis was released September 1, 2017. The Committee was appointed by the Legislature of New Brunswick and was mandated to conduct…
Read MoreJennifer Taylor A child and her adoptive parents “found themselves caught up in a judge-made vortex of uncertainty and delay” when a judge made a “self-directed constitutional reference” instead of issuing an adoption order, prolonging…
Read MoreJennifer Taylor Introduction The recent Nova Scotia Supreme Court decision in Dyack v Lincoln is a nice case study on how to work through a limitations issue. It arrives almost two years after the “new”…
Read MoreBrian G. Johnston, QC While the concept of good faith is not new to employment law, its limits and implications remain uncertain. In a recent decision, Avalon Ford v Evans 2017 NLCA 9, the Newfoundland…
Read MoreLevel Chan and Dante Manna On August 9, 2017, the Nova Scotia Superintendent of Pensions announced temporary solvency relief for defined benefit pension plans available effective August 8, 2017. The changes allow pension plan sponsors…
Read MoreKevin Landry Edmonton wants “Cannabis Lounges”, Nova Scotia Landlords don’t want tenants to smoke marijuana in their rental homes, and Calgary City Council contemplates a private recreational cannabis system. The old adage of “Location. Location.…
Read MoreJon O’Kane and Jamie Watson Legal cannabis will have numerous implications for insurers. The federal Cannabis Act (discussed here), the provincial acts (discussed here) and the regulations (discussed here) are all going to add layers…
Read MoreVasu Sivapalan and Ben Whitney Legalized and regulated cannabis is on track to become a reality in Canada in just under a year (on or before July 1, 2018). This will create a number of…
Read MoreFurther to our Client Update on June 15 titled, “Requirement to register as a lobbyist in New Brunswick”, the deadline for initial registration under the Lobbyists’ Registration Act of New Brunswick has been extended from…
Read More