Residents of Lambton Shores may finally get a restful night’s sleep in the summer months. Lambton Shores Council is in the process of approving a bylaw that would require cottage owners in Port Franks, Ipperwash and Grand Bend who rent out their cottages, to have a license for short-term rentals. The by-law would include rentals to have an ‘on-call’ person that will be available 24/7 incase any issues arise, a 24/7 hotline for neighbors to report any misbehavior, and only being able to rent to a maximum of 10 ten people at a time. Mayor Bill Weber says Lambton Shores wants to keep the tourism in the county, but also want to be respectful of permanent residents.
The bylaw is due to renters disturbing neighbors late into the night and not being respectful. Some properties will be under the bylaw this year, but everyone will be by next summer. Cottage renters will be able to sign up for their license online, council is still waiting for the website to be finished, but expect to be fully operating by next summer.