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The city’s recommendation came after the operators of 10 bed and breakfasts wrote to the city asking for a crackdown on unlicensed Airbnb businesses, which they said were destroying their livelihood. The bed and breakfast operators argued it was unfair they had to pay for business licences and health inspections while people offering accommodations through Airbnb did not.

Debbie Judt, who operates Glacier Park Bed and Breakfast in College Park with her husband, said “it would be great” if the city required business licences for Airbnb hosts as well as bed and breakfast owners, but said more changes are needed before the playing field is levelled.

For instance, the city does not suggest that Airbnb hosts go through health and safety inspections, which are carried out under the authority of the Saskatoon Health Region and are required for bed and breakfast operators. In its report, the city said rooms advertised on Airbnb are outside the scope of the health region’s regulations.

“How is that fair?” Judt asked.

If city council decides Airbnb users must have business licences, the city said enforcement of this would be complaint-based. Bylaw enforcers would check in with unlicensed Airbnb hosts only if someone reported them to the city.

Judt questioned whether that would be effective.

“How many people are actually going to take the time?” she asked. “The success of that, I think, is going to be very slim.”

Andrew Hildebrandt, the city’s director of community services, said requiring Airbnb users to be licensed would allow the city to intervene if someone provides unsafe accommodations.

“Essentially right now we’re powerless; we don’t have any regulatory power over them,” he said.

He said bylaw officers investigating business licence bylaw violations first work with business owners to gain compliance. This usually happens and fines are rare.

Pending council approval, the city will take its recommendations to community stakeholders, including bed and breakfast operators, for further discussion.

ahill@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/MsAndreaHill