June 2016
Many condo corporations prohibit short-term rentals. The reasons for this are varied but generally relate to ensuring that residential condo suites are not utilized as hotel services which results in discomfort, inconvenience and costs for other condo residents.
Key vaults are a relatively new service to facilitate short-term Airbnb rentals. This secure and anonymous service is located around the city in places that include convenience stores and coffee shops. The service allows an Airbnb user to leave their keys in a secure location for short-term renters to access. At the end of a rental period keys can be returned to the key vault. KeyHub, a service targeting apartments that allows guests to pick up keys at local cafes and convenience stores, charges a $5 fee.
When a short-term renter has keys, building fob or door passcode at the time of arrival it creates a security challenge. This makes it more difficult for building concierge, security and neighbours to determine who is a building resident or guest as opposed to a short-term renter.
One Airbnb service not yet in Canada is Urbankeyz. The company provides a range of Airbnb services from communicating with potential guests to booking and greeting. They will even clean and change linen. Fee is about 20 to 25 per cent of the booking.
For more information on Airbnb services and their impact on condo buildings, see the Condo Archives – Condo Building Management, subheading Rentals.
