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The City of Kelowna, British Columbia, has decided not to reinstate a business license for a short-term rental property that has been the subject of over 50 complaints since 2021. The council unanimously agreed to a staff recommendation to deny the application for the property located at 381 Viewcrest Court.
David Montpetit, a neighbor to the rental property, expressed his relief following the council’s decision, commenting, “This has been an ordeal going on for three and a half years, so almost relief, I will be frank with you. I am very pleased they took this approach.”
Residents in the area have regularly reported issues such as loud parties and other disturbances. Montpetit highlighted specific problems, recounting incidents of noise, inappropriate behavior in the pool area, and the arrival of tour buses laden with guests. “Parties, noise, sex on the pool, nudity on the pool deck, tour buses pulling up with people getting in and out,” he detailed when discussing the challenges they faced.
In an effort to build a case against the property, neighbors began meticulously documenting the infractions. Among their allegations, they claimed that the homeowner, Peter Drummond, was not residing at the property full-time, which they argued violated short-term rental regulations.
The city intervened in January due to the excessive number of complaints and the considerable resources spent in attempts to bring the property into compliance, ultimately revoking the business license.
During a recent appeal hearing, Drummond contested the allegations made against him. Following the council’s decision to deny his appeal, he opted not to provide any further comments.
Several of Drummond’s neighbors attended the council meeting and, while they chose not to speak on record, their presence indicated a shared sense of relief and optimism that the challenges they had faced were coming to an end. Montpetit reflected on the situation, expressing hope that lessons learned from this experience could benefit both their neighborhood and others in Kelowna in dealing with similar rental issues in the future.
“It was a difficult process,” Montpetit noted. “I think some key learnings coming out of this is … what happened and what can be done better to address issues like this in the future, not only in our neighborhood but neighborhoods in Kelowna.”
Source
globalnews.ca