Edmonton infills operated as rooming houses, renting by the day — even hour

Residents in some south Edmonton neighbourhoods near the University of Alberta are sounding the alarm over new infill properties where individual bedroom are being rented out rooming house-style — in some cases by the day and even the hour.

People living in Belgravia and McKernan who spoke to Global News feel some of the developments are deceptive.

“As it’s being built, they’re not advertised that they’re going to be rooming houses,” explained McKernan resident Rhonda Bell.

“They say seven or eight units —a multi-family dwelling. But what they’re actually building is about 32 rooms at a time.

“Each bedroom has it’s own ensuite. So it’s misleading.”

Global News found classified posts on Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji advertising daily and even hourly rentals for individual bedrooms within a newly constructed infill in the McKernan neighbourhood.

“It’s really questionable — who’s going to be included as a tenant?” Bell wondered.

“It can become a revolving door and that’s really not safe.”

The ads say the kitchen, bathroom and laundry is shared. There is no mention of living rooms. Costs range from $35-$65 per night. The number of bedrooms in the building was not clear.

Frustrated community members sent the advertisements to their city councillor, Michael Janz.

“Ultimately, we need more accountability around landlords,” Janz said.

“We need more accountability around property owners. We need to make sure that the ad matches the delivery.”

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Rooming houses, formally called “lodging houses” are a unique development in Edmonton, as they require different safety measures.

The city defines a lodging house as a building, or part of a building, containing four or more “sleeping units” in which each is rented individually.

According to the city, the McKernan property on the online ad is listed as a four-plex and zones for Small Scale Residential (RS), but there is an application in development for a partial change to a lodging house.

There were various numbers to contact on the Kijiji ads, including some saying text-only.

A woman listed as a contact declined an interview, but told Global News she has a short-term rental license.

After Global News reached out to the phone numbers on Monday, the postings on Kijiji and Marketplace were all taken down within an hour.

Councillor Janz said that is suspect.

“I think neighbours deserve a sense of transparency and predictability and fairness about who their neighbours are, who’s in the community, what the nature of your building is.”

He also worries about what impact developments like this have on the subject of infill — something that’s been highly controversial in Edmonton for years.

“I think cases like this, even if they’re one or two off anecdotes, do not help.

“They undermine the social license, they undermine the public sense of surety, they make other neighbours worried.”

Janz has been fielding infill concerns from his constituents for some time now, which last year led to him bringing forward a motion at city hall.

Now, a report will be coming forward outlining exactly what a lodging house is, and where it can be built.

In the meantime, neighbours feel there are loopholes in existing rules being exploited that the city should have caught.

“They approved the plans, knowing full well that there would be 32 bedrooms and 32 bathrooms,” Bell explained, adding the city spokesperson she was directed to said they were shocked to hear properties were being rented by the room.

“That wasn’t the plan and you can see it from the drawings of the buildings. That was never the plan. Don’t pretend it was the plan. Honesty is the best policy,” she said.

The infill home next to her has been renting individual rooms monthly to students. She said that’s created issues over parking, garbage, landscaping and snow removal.

By using unregulated classified sites to rent through, like Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace, as opposed to established short-term rental companies like Airbnb, Bell said there’s no recourse for neighbours or tenants with concerns.

Regardless of the designation, Bell said the actual use of the property is what matters.

“When it walks like a duck and moves like a duck and quacks like a duck — at some point people have to call it a duck,” she said.

“Call it what it is, then that will help the city set out appropriate bylaws for operating it — not just for building it.”