Heather Wright/The Independent

People who rent out their homes online in Plympton-Wyoming won’t be regulated this year.

Town council hoped to have a short term rental bylaw in place before the busy summer season. But Mayor Gary Atkinson says it’s too complex of a process to rush. And, council wants to make sure they get the bylaw right the first time.

Short-term rentals have been a problem for some time in the community with Blue Point residents asking they be banned in 2020. The residents underscored the current bylaw doesn’t permit people to rent their home out unless they are also at the property.

There are now 52 short term rentals in Plympton-Wyoming listed on various websites with about 24 along the lakeshore.

That’s where the issues are the greatest, where partiers rent a house, clogging the local streets and making noise late into the night.

Complicating the issue is the fact some of the homes for rent are now owned by rental companies instead of local taxpayers.

Other municipalities, including lakeshore neighbour Lambton Shores, have passed bylaws placing limits on the number of people and vehicles allowed at rental homes.

Plympton-Wyoming Planner Sarah Baldwin has been looking at those bylaws include licensing of the homes and needed additional staff to deal with complaints.

Council, and Atikinson, originally wanted a local bylaw in place before the summer season, but Baldwin, in a report to council, said there simply isn’t enough time to do it right. She says trying to get regulations in place by the summer “will result in a rushed program that will be more costly to implement and have a higher chance of being appealed” in the courts.

Baldwin suggested consulting with residents including seasonal cottagers in May and June since they would be significantly impacted.

Council agreed with the plan, knowing it would mean another year without regulation. Atkinson says its the right thing to do.

“I just don’t want to rush into this and try to throw something out there, then we find out maybe that’s not what we needed,” he says.

“I know we as council were, hopeful of having something in place by summer, this is going to take a little longer.”