Lake Simcoe weekends made short-term rentals look like easy money — and then the municipalities responded. Barrie, Innisfil, and Orillia have each moved to license and regulate short-term rentals, and the era of just listing your place and collecting is over.
The common thread
While specifics differ by municipality and continue to evolve, the pattern is consistent: licensing requirements, caps or restrictions on non-principal-residence rentals, occupancy limits, and real fines for operating outside the rules. Some areas effectively restrict short-term renting to your principal residence; others limit it by zone.
Before you buy "an Airbnb property"
Never buy on the assumption that short-term rental income will be allowed — verify the current bylaw for that exact address first, and stress-test the purchase as a long-term rental instead. If the math only works at nightly rates, the margin of safety isn't there.
Buy properties that work as long-term rentals. Treat short-term upside as a bonus, not the plan.
If you already operate one
Get licensed, stay licensed, and keep records. Enforcement has teeth now, and a licensed operation is also a sellable feature if you ever list the property.
The bottom line
Short-term rentals still work in parts of Simcoe County — as a regulated business, not a loophole. Want help finding property where the numbers work under today's rules? That's a conversation I enjoy.
Lindsay Benavides
A proud Latina REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty Centres, helping buyers, sellers, and investors across Barrie and Simcoe County build stability and generational wealth through homeownership. Se habla español.
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