Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund: Applicant guide

• Copyright

  © His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, 2024.

  Cat. No. T94-80/2024E-PDF
  ISBN 978-0-660-74551-0

On this page

• 1. Overview
  • Purpose of the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund
  • Purpose of this Call for Proposals
  • The deadline to submit proposal
• 2. Application process
• 3. Eligibility (minimum requirements)
  • Applicants
  • Short-term regulatory regime requirements
• 4. Assessment
• 5. Additional considerations
• 6. Eligible activities and costs
  • Eligible activities under the STREF
  • Eligible costs under the STREF
  • Ineligible costs under the STREF
• 7. Reporting on results
• 8. Questions & answers
  • How much funding is available under the STREF for grant funding?
  • What is the maximum duration for projects funded under STREF?
  • What are the minimum and maximum funding allocation per project?
  • How do I apply?
  • What are the additional documents required?
  • What is the application process for an eligible applicant located in Quebec?
  • What is the application process for an eligible applicant located in Alberta?
  • How will my application be assessed?
  • How will I know if my project has been selected for funding?
  • Any questions?
• Annex A: Definitions
• Annex B: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada's funding portal guidance
  • Introduction
  • Step 1: Register for your HICC portal account
  • Step 2: Manage your HICC portal account
  • Step 3: Apply for funding
• Annex C: Step-by-step guide to the application form
  • Important tips when preparing your application
  • Part 1: Tell us who you are
  • Part 2: Tell us about your project
  • Part 3: Tell us about your budget
  • Part 4: Required documents
  • Part 5: Attestation

1. Overview

The Government of Canada is committed to limiting short-term rentals that take away units from long-term renters in local markets. A short-term rental refers to the rental of any type of residential dwelling unit (e.g., houses, secondary suites, accessory dwelling units, apartments, condominiums) that is facilitated by digital platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, or TripAdvisor and Expedia and their respective subsidiaries (e.g., FlipKey and VRBO).

In communities across Canada, the number of short-term rental properties has been rising in recent years. Short-term rental activity contributes to the housing shortage as it can result in the loss of long-term rental units. In taking action to address the increase in short-term rental activity, the Government of Canada is launching the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund (STREF). The STREF, delivered through Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada (HICC), is being implemented to support municipal and Indigenous community enforcement of existing restrictions on short-term rentals. The intended goal of the STREF is to help return short-term rentals back to the long-term housing market.

This guide has been prepared to support your application. It contains key information on types of eligible activities and expenses, steps to apply, and key requirements to be considered for federal funding under the STREF.

Purpose of the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund

The purpose of the STREF is to limit short-term rentals that take away units from the long-term rental market across the country. The Government of Canada will provide $45.9 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to support the enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals.

The STREF provides grant funding to municipalities and Indigenous communities with existing strict regulatory regimes to support the local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions in an effort to make more long-term housing units available in Canada. This includes supporting the planning, implementation, enhancement, and review of short-term rental enforcement and compliance measures as well as increasing short-term rental enforcement and compliance capacity.

Purpose of this Call for Proposals

The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to invite municipalities and Indigenous communities to apply for funding. HICC will review proposals that meet the STREF's eligibility requirements and assess them using merit criteria. Standardized guidelines will be used to evaluate each application to ensure that funding decisions are made based on objective and fair measures of merit, based on the need for support and the expected results of proposed activities.

The deadline to submit proposal

The application deadline is January 24, 2025, at 4:00 pm ET. Applications received after the deadline may not be evaluated or considered.

2. Application process

To apply to the STREF, your organization will go through a two-step application process:

1. Certify that the application meets the minimum requirements as described in the eligibility section of the Guide.
2. Submit a complete Application Form, including:
• A description of your three-year project including:
• Quantitative and/or qualitative evidence of the short-term rental activity levels and related housing needs in the community
• A description of the existing regulatory regime, including where it exceeds the STREF's minimum requirements, and of the current enforcement and compliance efforts
•  A description of the project's objectives and how it aligns with the STREF's objectives
• A description of the project's activities, budget, and full-time equivalent staff (FTEs)
• A description and timeline of planned activities
• A plan to measure progress on results of the project including results measurement indicators that would go beyond those required by the STREF program
• A description of the proposed project's budget, including estimated costs, other sources of funding, and project cashflow.

3. Eligibility (minimum requirements)

Applicants

To apply, your organization must fall within one of two categories:

1. Municipalities^{Footnote 1} (including upper-tier municipalities, which are regional municipalities formed by two or more lower-tier municipalities)
2. Indigenous governing bodies^{Footnote 2}, including but not limited to:
• A band council within the meaning of section 2 of the Indian Act
• A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government or authority established pursuant to a Self-Government Agreement or a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement between His Majesty the King in right of Canada and an Indigenous people of Canada, that has been approved, given effect and declared valid by federal legislation
• A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government established by or under legislation whether federal or provincial or territorial that incorporates a governance structure

For more definitions, please refer to Annex A – Definitions.

Ineligible applicants include:

• For-profit organizations
• Provinces and Territories^{Footnote 3}
• Federal entities, including federal Crown corporations

Short-term regulatory regime requirements

To apply, your organization must have all three of the following requirements in place at time of application:

1. A strict short-term rental regulatory regime in place by the time you are submitting your application.
   A strict short-term rental regulatory regime is defined as including, at minimum, all the following:^{Footnote 4}
   1. An existing principal residence requirement limiting short-term rental operation to principal residences;
      • A principal residence requirement can apply to all or part of a municipality's boundaries, or Indigenous Governing Body, and/or be triggered by a minimum vacancy rate or other indicator
   2. A licensing system for short-term rental operators;
      • A licensing system can be a registration, licensing or permitting system that allows short-term rental operators to conduct business within the applicant's boundaries

AND

2. One additional existing regulation from the following list:
• Short-term rental licensing/registration process requiring a proof of consent from condo corporation/strata and property owners for a unit to be used as short-term rental
• Spatial rules, quotas or moratoriums to restrict short-term rentals to specific zones, neighbourhoods or blocks, limit the number of units within those zones, neighbourhoods or blocks, as well as suspend or restrict issuing of short-term rental licenses
• Enforcing a night cap on bookings to restrict the maximum number of consecutive days that a unit can be rented and the total number of days per year that a unit can be rented as a short-term rental
• Establishing accountability measures for platforms, including mandating short-term rental platforms to obtain a license to operate, to share data with enforcement personnel or to remove non-compliant listings

AND

3. An enforcement and compliance program for the short-term rental regulatory regime with dedicated resources that uses a mix of proactive and reactive tools and techniques, or a commitment from the applicant to implement one as described in the application.

Regulatory regime refers to the set of regulatory tools designed to impact short-term rental activity, either through a series of regulations (e.g., zoning bylaws, business licensing bylaws, enforcement bylaws, accommodation tax bylaws), a stand-alone short-term rental regulation, or a combination of both.

Enforcement and compliance program refers to the approach and actions taken by municipalities to induce, encourage, or compel compliance with the regulatory regime.

Applicants who do not meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined above will not be considered for the grant.

4. Assessment

Your project will be assessed on the following criteria:

Project activities

• Provide evidence of short-term rental activity levels, a description of the existing regulatory regime and demonstrate support of the STREF's objectives (10/10 points):
• The STREF objective is to protect new and existing units in the long-term housing stock by helping local governments to better enforce the short-term rental regulations.
• Demonstrate that project activities are eligible, clear and connected to the STREF's objectives (5/5). Eligible activities include:
• Activities designed to support the implementation, enhancements and review of short-term rental compliance and enforcement measures.

OR

• Activities designed to increase short-term rental enforcement and compliance capacity.
• Demonstrate that project activities are achievable within defined timelines, no longer than March 31 2027. (5/5)
• Activities planned are in alignment with the STREF's eligible activities, and the applicant's implementation plan is feasible.
• The type of project activities listed in the application will be categorized into the three priority outcomes. Applicants should have a clear plan for implementing such activities in the application. Please note that primary outcomes will receive a higher score than secondary or third outcomes (15/15):
• Primary Prioritization Outcomes include:
• Proactive enforcement
• Data-driven approach
• Innovation  including developing, testing, and scaling new innovative tools, resources and processes to enforcement (e.g., digital surveillance technology, legislation, on-the-ground enforcement strategy) that the STREF recipient adopts and has not used previously
• Collaboration
• Building short-term enforcement capacity
• Preventive enforcement.
• Examples of activities under primary outcomes include:
• Conducting investigations and inspections
• Issuing warnings, bylaw offence notices or tickets
• Supporting legal proceedings
• Procuring or developing software and digital tools
• Developing, testing and scaling new innovative tools, resources and processes
• Developing partnerships and agreements, including with other levels of government and short-term rental platforms
• Recruiting additional enforcement and compliance personnel 
• Providing staff training
• Managing licensing, permitting or regulation systems
• Secondary Prioritization Outcomes include:
• Increasing short-term enforcement capacity
• Reactive enforcement
• Examples of activities under secondary outcomes include:
• Procuring monitoring and enforcement to compliance companies
• Managing complaint systems
• Tertiary Prioritization Outcomes include:
• Long-term enforcement capacity
• Voluntary compliance
• Examples of activities under third prioritized outcome include:
• Creating and implementing an evaluation framework
• Creating and implementing a monitoring and performance measurement framework
• Conducting research and analysis
• Building and disseminating knowledge
• Raising awareness and educating the public

Project budget

• Allocation needed for the project is clearly identified and the funding requested will optimize the achievement of outcomes. (5/5)
• Plan to measure progress on results of the project, including results measurement indicators that would go beyond those required by the STREF program. (5/5)
• Description of the project costs are eligible and support the project activities for maximum of $4.8 million over three years. (5/5)

5. Additional considerations

Other considerations may be taken into account when providing funding to projects under the STREF, including:

• Geographical distribution to obtain coverage across Canada of funded projects
• The applicant is an Indigenous Governing Body
• Eligible projects that meet the federal government's policies to promote linguistic duality and promote the development of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)

6. Eligible activities and costs

Eligible activities under the STREF

The following activities are eligible under the STREF:

• Activities designed to support the planning, implementation, improvement and review of short-term rental enforcement and compliance measures, including:
• Raising awareness and educating the public 
• Managing complaints systems 
• Managing licensing, permitting or registration systems 
• Conducting investigations and inspections 
• Issuing warnings, bylaw offence notices or tickets
• Supporting legal proceedings
• Activities designed to increase short-term rental enforcement and compliance capacity, including:
• Procuring or developing software and digital tools 
• Procuring identification, monitoring, and compliance processes from compliance companies
• Recruiting additional enforcement and compliance personnel
• Providing staff training 
• Developing, testing and scaling new innovative tools, resources and processes 
• Developing partnerships and agreements, including with other levels of government and short-term rental platforms 
• Creating and implementing an evaluation framework 
• Creating and implementing a monitoring and performance measurement framework in order to measure the performance of the initiative 
• Conducting research and analysis on short-term rental enforcement
• Building and disseminating knowledge on short-term rental enforcement
• Other project-related activities, as approved by HICC on case-by-case basis, to meet the objectives of the STREF program.

Eligible costs under the STREF

• To be eligible, all costs must be incurred by an eligible recipient and considered by HICC to be direct and necessary for the successful implementation of an eligible project and related to eligible activities.
• Costs cannot exceed $4.8 million per project over three years (until March 31, 2027).

The eligible costs under the STREF include:

• Wages and mandatory employment related costs (MERCs) for project staff
• Staff training and professional development costs
• Procurement of enforcement and compliance services
• Professional fees, including researchers and IT providers
• Subset capital costs such as software, IT supplies and solutions, excluding any building, construction, etc.
• Overhead costs up to a maximum of 7% of total project expenses under HICC grant funding, which are central to the recipient's operations and directly related to support eligible activities as outlined in the Funding Agreement (including postage, telephones, IT maintenance and head office support)
• Printing and communication
• Transportation costs associated with investigations of suspected non-compliant Short-term rentals
• Translation, including to Indigenous language

Ineligible costs under the STREF

The ineligible costs under the STREF program include:

• Costs incurred before project approval and any expenditures related to contracts signed prior to project approval
• Cost incurred for cancelled projects
• New construction, or expansion of physical assets and costs for purchasing or leasing land, buildings and other facilities; real estate fees and related costs
• Financing charges, collateral on mortgage financing, and loan interest payments, including those related to easements (e.g. surveys)
• Legal fees and mediation/alternative dispute resolution fees except for costs incurred to support legal proceedings related to short-term rental enforcement and compliance
• Any goods and services costs, which are received through donations or in kind
• Provincial sales tax, goods and services tax, and harmonized sales tax for which the ultimate recipient is eligible for a rebate, and any other costs eligible for rebates
• Cost related to furnishings and non-fixed assets, unless approved by HICC

7. Reporting on results

• Successful applicants will be required to submit annual progress reports outlining the results achieved, and the performance management plan outlined in the application. The reporting should demonstrate to HICC that the organization is working towards increasing enforcement of short-term rental restrictions, even if the enforcement measures have not yet resulted in more units returned to the long-term housing market. HICC may also conduct touch points with recipients as required. HICC would review results against commitments made and may request corrective actions. In cases of non-compliance with commitments made, HICC may withhold funds or end the agreement.

8. Questions & answers

How much funding is available under the STREF for grant funding?

• Up to $45.9 million over three years (2024-2025 to 2026-2027) is available for grant funding.

What is the maximum duration for projects funded under STREF?

• The maximum duration of grant agreements for selected projects is until March 31, 2027.

What are the minimum and maximum funding allocation per project?

• The maximum level of financial support approved per project will not exceed $4.8 million over three years. The minimum funding allocation in year one will be set at $100,000 to ensure applicants with smaller populations can cover the higher costs associated with the planned enforcement and compliance activities in the jurisdiction.

How do I apply?

• It is necessary to create a HICC Portal Account to submit an application for HICC programs. Detailed instructions on how to create your HICC Portal Account and how to fill out the Application Form can be found in Annex B and Annex C of this guide. The application form will be available from December 16, 2024, at 9:00 am ET through January 24, 2025, at 4:00 pm ET.

Please note that the HICC Funding Portal will be available on December 16, 2024. We encourage you to review the applicant guide and prepare your application in an external document and then copy and paste your answers into the fields of the Application Form. You do not need to complete your online application in a single attempt. The application can be saved and retrieved as many times as necessary before the submission deadline. If you experience technical difficulties with the HICC Portal Account creation or the HICC application in the funding portal, please contact the HICC Support Team at: crmsupport-soutiengrc@infc.gc.ca.

Find detailed instructions on how to complete an Application through HICC's Funding Portal in Annex B and Annex C.

What are the additional documents required?

• For Provinces/Territories, please attach a consent form that was received from the municipality or Indigenous community to receive the funding and become the eligible applicant and signatory to the agreement as required in the eligibility criteria above. For instructions on how to submit an additional document, please see Step by Step instructions in Part 4 – Required Documents.

What is the application process for an eligible applicant located in Quebec?

• Please consult the Approval and Authorization Process in relation to the Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (RLRQ, chapter M-30). As per the Act, all Quebec municipal bodies must obtain a Ministerial Order from the Government of Quebec authorizing the conclusion of an agreement with the federal government or one of its departments.

What is the application process for an eligible applicant located in Alberta?

• In the Province of Alberta, provincial approval may be required. The Provincial Priorities Act, 2024 (formerly Bill 18), may require provincial entities to obtain prior approval from Alberta's government before entering into, amending, extending or renewing an agreement with the federal government.

How will my application be assessed?

• After the submission deadline, all submitted applications will first be screened for completeness and to confirm that they meet basic eligibility criteria, such as being a municipality or Indigenous governing body, and have a strict regulatory regime with an enforcement and compliance program geared to bringing back units to the long-term market. Applications that are determined to meet the eligibility criteria for the STREF program will subsequently be assessed and prioritized according to the merit criteria for additional consideration outlined in this applicant guide.
• HICC reserves the right to accept a proposal at our discretion. If upon assessment of the application further information is needed, applicants will be given five business days to provide the required information. Applications that do not provide all of the required information will be deemed ineligible. HICC may also review information in the public domain, including but not limited to materials on your website and media articles, when determining the eligibility of your application. Please make sure to include all relevant information in your answers, as applications will be assessed on the content of your response.
• All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application. HICC reserves the right to apply additional considerations in the selection of projects if the volume of applications is above the funding available for the STREF. This will include assessing applications based on geographic location, whether the organization is an Indigenous governing body, and whether it aligns with the federal government's policies to promote linguistic duality and support the development of Official Language Minority Communities. Additionally, applications may be prioritized based on the eligible activities outlined in the application.

How will I know if my project has been selected for funding?

• Once applications have been reviewed, successful applicants will be notified by HICC. HICC will communicate with the project's primary contact and discuss next steps, including negotiation of the project details and budget, as well as the signing of the Funding Agreement.
• Please note that not all applications submitted under this Call for Proposals will be approved. Funding is limited and is subject to budget considerations of the STREF and allocation of funds by Parliament. Decisions are final and there is no appeal process.
• HICC will update and publish the funding decision on the Dashboard of the Organization's Portal and notify you of the outcome of the review of your application.

Any questions?

• If you have enquiries about this Call for Proposals process, please send them to the following address: stref-farlcd@infc.gc.ca.

Annex A: Definitions

Short-term rentals: The rental of any type of residential dwelling unit (e.g., houses, secondary suites, accessory dwelling units, apartments, condominiums), in whole or in part, for a short period of time (typically less than a month) and facilitated by digital platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, or TripAdvisor and Expedia and their respective subsidiaries (e.g., FlipKey and VRBO).

Program: A group of related activities that are designed and managed to meet a specific public need and are often treated as a budgetary unit.

Municipalities: A municipal or regional government established by or under provincial or territorial statute.

Upper-tier municipalities: Formed by two or more municipalities within its boundaries. An upper-tier municipality has a regional council and government and provides services for two or more lower-tier municipalities.

Indigenous governing body: means a council, government or other entity that is authorized to act on behalf of an Indigenous group, community or people that holds rights recognized and affirmed by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. "Indigenous peoples of Canada" has the meaning assigned by the definition aboriginal peoples of Canada in subsection 35(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982. Including but not limited to:

• A band council within the meaning of section 2 of the Indian Act
• A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government or authority established pursuant to a Self-Government Agreement or a Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement between His Majesty the King in right of Canada and an Indigenous people of Canada, that has been approved, given effect and declared valid by federal legislation
• A First Nation, Inuit or Métis government established by or under legislation whether federal or provincial or territorial that incorporates a governance structure

Indigenous peoples: Self-identified. Includes First Nations, Inuit, Métis Nation, and urban and off-reserve Indigenous Peoples of Canada.

Innovation tools, resources and processes: An approach to enforcement (e.g., digital surveillance technology, legislation, on-the-ground enforcement strategy) that the STREF recipient adopts and has not used before.

Grant: A transfer payment subject to pre-established eligibility and other entitlement criteria. However, audits may be conducted by HICC in accordance with the Recipient Audit Framework. Funding agreements will establish HICC's right to conduct recipient audits. The recipient may be required to report on results achieved.

Official Language Minority Community (OLMC): While there is no official definition for an Official Language Minority Community, it is commonly recognized as a term that designates a population group of varying sizes that live and express themselves in an official language other than that which is of primary use in the province.

Overhead costs (administrative costs): Expenses associated with running a business that can't be linked to creating or producing a product or service.

Recipients: Successful applicants who receive funding from HICC and hold the overarching grant agreements with the Department.

Regulatory regime: Set of regulatory tools designed to impact short-term rental activity, either through a series of regulations (e.g., zoning bylaws, business licensing bylaws, enforcement bylaws, accommodation tax bylaws), a stand-alone short-term rental regulation, or a combination of both. 

Enforcement and compliance program:  The approach and actions taken to induce, encourage, or compel compliance with the regulatory regime.

Total eligible cost: The sum of eligible costs as determined under the terms and conditions of the STREF.

Total project cost: The sum of both eligible and ineligible costs for a given project.

Crown corporations: A corporation that is owned and regulated by the national government to serve a need that cannot be met by the private sector alone.

Annex B:  Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada's Funding Portal guidance

Introduction

• Applicants must register for a HICC Portal Account.
• By accessing the HICC Funding Portal, you will be able to create, save, edit, and submit applications to the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund, as well as view your organization's list of submissions through "My Dashboard".
• Applicants can track the status of the applications via the Dashboard.
• Applicants who are unable to apply through the HICC Funding Portal are asked to reach out at this email address: stref-farlcd@infc.gc.ca. 
• Applicants that already have an HICC Portal Account can skip to Step 2.

Important: Please ensure that you create your HICC Portal Account a minimum of 1 week prior to the deadline to submit your application as it may take a few days for your account to be established.

Step 1: Register for your HICC Portal account

• Enter the HICC Funding Portal. Please use the most recent version of the following supported web browsers to access the HICC Applicant Portal:
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Apple Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Internet Explorer (not recommended)
• If you are a first-time user of the HICC Portal, click Register if you do not already have a Portal Account.
• Confirm you have read the Privacy Notice Statement.
• Register your account by:
  • providing a valid e-mail address
  • creating a username and password
• You will be redirected to the Profile Page to create your Personal Profile
• Enter the required information to create your Personal Profile, noting that all fields with an "*" are mandatory
• Important: You will need to indicate if you belong to an existing organization (with an HICC Portal Account) or if you are creating a new account. If you choose "No", then you will be considered the Organization Administrator. Selecting "Yes" or "No" is a very important to ensure that you are able to either create either a new organization profile or to access an existing one.
• The Organization Administrator is responsible for managing all other "accounts" or "contacts" that can access the Organization Account and Online Funding Application.  The Organization Administrator will:
  • be notified that someone wants to "join" the Organization Account.
  • be responsible to confirm/approve the other users and determine what privileges they have (for example read only, updates, attest and submit
  • be able to designate someone as a delegate to have the same capability as the Organization Administrator.

Have you previously applied through the HICC Funding Portal?

• For applicants who have previously applied to an HICC program, your organization's profile has already been created using information provided in previous applications. If you are the Organization Administrator and/or a delegate linked to access the Organization account, you can access your HICC Portal Account by signing through the HICC Funding Portal and providing your IFP User ID and password. If you have any issues accessing your Portal Account, please contact crmsupport-soutiengrc@infc.gc.ca  
• Once you find your organization's profile, review the information provided and ensure that it is up to date. Please edit your organization's profile if necessary. In the event that your organization is not found, you can proceed to create a New Organization profile.

How do I edit my organization's profile?

• You can edit your organization's profile once you have created a HICC Portal Account by clicking on Manage Profile.
• Once you enter your Profile page, click on Manage Organizations. Here, you will be able to locate your organization.
• Edit as needed and click Save.

Are you a new applicant to a Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada program?

• If your organization does not already exist in the HICC Portal, select "No" to the question if you belong to an existing organization and a new item will appear on the left navigation – Create New Organization.
• Fill in the required fields including:
  • the organization's full legal name in the language of your choice
  • contact information
  • organization address
  • organization type
  • primary point of contact (Note: that the Organization Administrator does not have to also be the primary contact and you may choose a secondary contact)
• Click Save to create your Organization Profile
• Once you have created your organization's profile, you are redirected back to the profile page
• You should sign out to activate your account
• Sign out by clicking on your name in the top right corner, selecting Sign out and sign back into your INFC Portal Account
• It is recommended that you clear your cache before trying to log back in

Step 2: Manage your HICC Portal account

With your HICC Portal Account within the HICC Funding Portal, you are able to apply to the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund Call for Proposals. The HICC Funding Portal is the place to access your organization's dashboard, application forms, and online resources.

Managing permissions - Account administrator/owner

If you are the first person in your organization to register for a HICC Funding Portal account, you will automatically be the primary contact for your organization's account and also be assigned the role of Account Administrator/Owner.

As Account Administrator/Owner, you will be responsible for:

• Reviewing and approving (or declining) requests from other members of your organization to access the HICC Funding Portal and the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund Call for Proposals Application Form
• Determining whether an approved team member(s) has "read only" capabilities or "update" (populating an application) capabilities
• Determining whether an approved team member(s) can Attest to and/or Submit project applications
• Determining whether an approved team member(s) can be your "delegate", which permits them to have the same account privileges as you and undertake the above-noted actions on your behalf (as the team Account Administrator/Owner)

How to grant access to the application to members of your organization?

In order for other members of your organization to access the HICC Funding Portal and work on the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund Call for Proposals Application Form, you must grant them permission through your Profile page. It is only after you have made your HICC Funding Portal Account that other members of your team can proceed to make their own HICC Personal Portal accounts and start an application.

First, have your team members create their own Personal HICC Portal Accounts. When asked to identify the Lead Applicant Organization, ensure that they "link" themselves to your organization. The team member must answer Yes that they belong to an existing organization when they create their HICC Portal Account. They will select the organization available in a drop-down list from the Existing Organization List. It is only through this process that they will be linked to your organization and be able to access your organization's Application. Once your team members have created their accounts, you will receive an e-mail notification titled: "Your action required".

Next, go to your Profile page. Click on Manage Permissions. Here, you will see a list of individuals who are requesting access to the Organization Profile Account.

1. Click the drop-down menu located next to the name and account information
2. Click Edit
3. Answer the questions to grant access privileges so that other team members:
• Can attest
• Can Submit
• Be a delegate
• Have Read Access only

Once you have assigned roles to your team members and saved this information, they will be able to see your Application Form in their own accounts under My Dashboard. Any changes that are made and saved to your Application Form by your team will be visible to all accounts linked to the Application Form.

My dashboard

Your dashboard will list your ongoing and completed application forms at HICC. Use the dashboard to navigate to your Application Form and keep track of the progress and status of your application. You do not need to complete your online application in one attempt. The application can be saved and edited as many times as necessary before the submission deadline.  

Apply for funding

To apply, you will find a link to the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund Application Form on the HICC Funding Portal once you log in to your account. This is located next to the dashboard tab.

Applicant guide

Once you log into your account you will be able to access the Applicant Guide to the funding program to which you are applying. The Applicant Guide is posted in the tab next to the Apply for Funding option.

HICC support

While using the HICC Funding Portal, applicants will have access to technical support services at any stage of the application process. To contact technical support services, click on HICC support in the bottom left corner of any page within the HICC Funding Portal. If, at any time, your account is inaccessible, please email the support team at crmsupport-soutiengrc@infc.gc.ca.

Step 3: Apply for funding

You are encouraged to gather information and prepare your responses ahead of time. When the HICC Funding Portal opens and is available to the public on December 16, 2024, you can copy and paste the information prepared to the HICC Funding Portal.

Please Note: The following procedures will only be possible on December 16, 2024.

After creating and confirming your organization account, to access the Application Form:

• Click Apply for Funding
• Click Apply for the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund
• Confirm the "Privacy and Eligibility" Statements
• Read the Privacy and Third-Party Notice Statement and confirm that you have read the statement by selecting 'Yes'

Organization must be one of the following types:

• Municipalities (including upper-tier municipalities, which are regional municipalities formed by two or more lower-tier municipalities)
• Indigenous Governing bodies

AND

A strict short-term rental regulatory regime in place by the January 24, 2025.

1. A strict short-term rental regulatory regime is defined as including, at minimum, all the following:
   1. An existing principal residence requirement limiting short-term rental operation to principal residences;
   • A principal residence requirement can apply to all or part of a municipality's boundaries, or Indigenous Governing Body, and/or be triggered by a minimum vacancy rate or other indicator
   2. A licensing system for short-term rental operators.
      • A licensing system can be a registration, licensing or permitting system that allows short-term rental operators to conduct business within the applicant's boundaries

AND

2. One additional existing regulation from the following list:
   • Short-term rental licensing/registration process requiring a proof of consent from condo corporation/strata and property owners for a unit to be used as short-term rental
   • Spatial rules, quotas or moratoriums to restrict short-term rentals to specific zones, neighbourhoods or blocks, limit the number of units within those zones, neighbourhoods or blocks, as well as suspend or restrict issuing of short-term rental licenses
   • Enforcing a night cap on bookings to restrict the maximum number of consecutive days that a unit can be rented and the total number of days per year that a unit can be rented as a short-term rental
   • Establishing accountability measures for platforms, including mandating short-term rental platforms to obtain a license to operate, to share data with enforcement personnel or to remove non-compliant listings

AND

3. An enforcement and compliance program for the short-term rental regulatory regime with dedicated resources that uses a mix of proactive and reactive tools and techniques, or a commitment from the applicant to implement one as described in the application.

Create a new project submission

As a first step, you will enter a project title, select your organization type, enter your CRA number (if applicable) and record the year your organization was established.

Annex C: Step-by-step guide to the application form

Important tips when preparing your application

You are encouraged to gather information and prepare your responses ahead of time. When the HICC Funding Portal opens and is available to the public on December 16, 2024, you can copy and paste the information prepared to the HICC Funding Portal following the instructions in Annex B: Step 3.

Please Note: The HICC Funding Portal will only be available as of December 16, 2024.

To edit or delete information that is displayed in table format, click on the icon and select either edit or delete.

Unless otherwise noted, the maximum character count for questions requiring a narrative answer (text box) is 2,000 characters.

Frequently, click Save to save your answers. This allows you to pause and resume work on your application without losing any information.

Questions marked with a red asterisk (*) are required and will need to be completed to validate and submit your application.

Once you have completed all questions in a section, click Validate. In addition to saving your work, this will verify that you have submitted all of the required information, and the tab at the top of the page will turn green.

All sections must be validated in order to submit your application to HICC.

Part 1: Tell us who you are

Organization information

Most of the information from this section will be prefilled with the information you provided when you created your HICC Portal Account. However, you can modify your organization's mandate if necessary.

Organization contacts

Please provide primary and secondary contacts for the purposes of HICC communicating with your organization or business about the proposed project.

If your organization's primary or secondary contact is different from the contact who will be leading your project, please create a new contact profile by clicking Add a Contact. This will add a contact to your organization's profile.

Organizational capacity

HICC will use the information provided in this section to help assess your organization's capacity to manage a project. 

Does your organization owe any amounts to the Government of Canada?

If 'Yes', please indicate the amounts owing in the spaces provided. 

See the following example:

Amount owing	Nature of amount owing	Department or agency to which money is owed
$10,000	Overpayment	HICC

Note: Answering 'Yes' to this question will not invalidate your application. However, you must provide details as to the type of debt owed and the arrangements that have been made for repayment.

If an amount is owing, please indicate whether or not payment arrangements have been made. 

Once you have added an amount owing, save it by clicking on this icon before adding a new one.

Part 2: Tell us about your project

Project identification

Planned project start and end dates

Please indicate the planned start and end dates of your proposed project. The maximum duration of Grant Agreements for selected projects is up to three years total.

We anticipate projects starting in Winter 2025.

Proposed activities cannot begin before your project is approved and a Grant Agreement has been signed between the organization and HICC. Any activities that occur prior to the signing of the Agreement by HICC cannot be reimbursed.

You should not assume any commitment on the part of the Department until funding has been approved and an Agreement has been signed by a representative of the Department. HICC will notify you in writing of the outcome of the review of your application.

Project description

HICC will use the information you provide in this section to assess your project proposal.

Project objectives

The maximum character count for this question (text box) is 8,000 characters.

In your answer, please provide the following information:

1. Outline the objectives of your project.

Please provide the following information in this section of the application:

• Quantitative and/or qualitative evidence of the short-term rental activity levels and related housing needs in the community.
• A description of your organization's existing regulatory regime, including where it exceeds the STREF's minimum requirements, and of the current enforcement and compliance of the STREF's activities, budget, and full-time equivalent staff (FTEs).
• Please include a reference or a link to the specific bylaw highlighting the existing regulatory regime.
• In this section please also provide details if one of the minimum requirements is met through Province/Territory and upper-tier municipal measures.
• A plan to measure progress on results of the project, including results measurement indicators that would go beyond those required by the STREF program
• A description of the project's objectives

The above and objectives of your projects must be clearly linked to the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund objectives of supporting the local enforcement of Short-term Rental restrictions in an effort to make more long-term housing units available in Canada. Before completing your answer, make sure you review the following sections of the Applicant Guide:

• What is the purpose of the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund?
• What types of projects are eligible?

The Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund objectives are: To protect existing units in the long-term housing stock by helping local governments to better enforce the short-term rental regulations Project objectives should:

• be consistent with the funding program's objectives and aligned with the purpose of the STREF
• identify the specific outcome(s) that the project is designed to accomplish
• show how meeting the project objectives will help to achieve the identified outcomes
• ensure proposed expenditures are eligible (please refer to eligible cost section above)
• align with STREF's desired activities

Project activities

In your answer, please describe, in full detail, the proposed project activities broken down into clear steps (timeline). Project activities are the steps that will be taken to meet the objectives of the project. Activities should be specific, measurable, realistic and relevant to the project objectives and demonstrate how the project outcome(s) will be achieved.

Your answer to this question must include details regarding all your planned activities. Please refer to the following sections of the Applicant Guide for examples and additional details on eligible activities:

• What types of projects are eligible?
• What types of activities are eligible?

You must include the following details for each activity:

• First column (Timeline): a timeline for this activity
• Second column (Activity): the type of activity (most of the time, you will answer "other" and specify the type of activity in the third column (Other Activity).
• Fourth column (Description): A description of the activity and an explanation of how it relates to the objective(s) of the project.

There should always be a clear link between the project activities and the project objective(s) that you identified previously in the application.

This section of the application should demonstrate your expected progress and plans to complete the project on time and within budget. The activities should be in line with your budget (Part 3 – Tell us about your budget).

The Description field should also contain the following information:

• Information on how the project will be set up as well as how staff will be recruited.
• Additional details about how the project will be delivered. For example, will your organization deliver all aspects of the project?

The information you provide here will have a significant bearing on the assessment of your proposed project and of your organization's ability to undertake the project successfully.

Expected Results of the Project

The maximum character count for this question (text box) is 8,000 characters.

In your answer, please provide the following information:

2. Describe the expected results of your project.

These must be clearly linked to the program's objectives to support the local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions. They must also be concrete and measurable (qualitative or quantitative) and must be defined as milestones.

Milestones are the short-term and intermediate changes that are expected to occur as the result of the project (more than one outcome could be directly related to an objective). They answer the questions "How do we know the project is successful?" and "How do the activities lead to improvements for the beneficiaries?"

Before completing your answer, make sure you review the following section of the Applicant Guide:

• What is the purpose of the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund?

Project details

Does the project include results measurement indicators?

Please describe your plan to measure progress on results as organizations will be required to submit annual  reports outlining results achieved. This can be demonstrated by, for example:

• Outlining a plan to measure/evaluate results;
• Identifying key performance indicators;
• Describing existing or planned data collection systems that can be used to measure results
• Discussing how an existing (or planned) By-Name List is, or would be in the future, used to measure results.

Provide a description of how you plan to gather, measure, monitor and report on results achieved by your project.

A performance indicator provides evidence that results have or have not been achieved. They ensure a proper assessment of the progress achieved towards the intended outputs, outcomes, goals and objectives of the project. Applicants must provide performance indicators which will clearly demonstrate how they will measure each anticipated result and ensure the project is progressing as planned.

Proposals must include at least one result measurement indicator for each of the project's expected results identified previously. In addition, for each result measurement indicator, data collection mechanisms must be provided.

Measuring results is a way to ensure that you know how your project is progressing towards meeting the expected results. It helps connect a project's activities and outputs to its intended outcomes as well as the Call for Proposal's overall outcomes. HICC uses the information you provide in this section to assess your capacity to demonstrate results.

Examples of key performance indicators:

• % of planned activities that have demonstrated progress
• % change in # short-term rental units investigated for suspected non-compliance
• % investigated short-term rental units that are deemed non-compliant where enforcement points to a positive outcome
• Short-term rental listings as a percentage of total housing units
• Proportion of households living in acceptable housing for participating jurisdictions

Recipients will be required to monitor, track, and report on project data and the results of all funded activities as stipulated in the Grants Agreements.

Does this proposed project fit with your organization's other activities?

The maximum character count for this question (text box) is 5,000 characters.

In your answer, please provide the following information:

1. Describe your ability to ensure local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions.  
   1. Provide details of your organization's past experience directly delivering supports to the local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions. 
   2. if your organization does not have experience, please provide details of your organization's plans to strengthen capacity to deliver services.

3. Describe your organization's experience directly returning non-compliant short-term rentals to the long-term rental market and protecting existing units in the long-term housing stock by deterring new non-compliant short-term rentals listings.

Is your project designed to benefit or involve people in English or French-language minority communities? 

If 'Yes', please provide an explanation and any details on whether consultations will take place with these communities

HICC is committed to enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada by supporting and assisting the development and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. Official Language Minority Communities are English-speaking communities established within the province of Quebec and French-speaking communities established outside the province of Quebec.

If your proposed project will involve official language minority communities, you should answer 'Yes' to this question and ensure that this is listed and described in your Project objectives. 

Please also identify the linguistic profile of the beneficiaries targeted by the project, document any special needs of the official language minority community and indicate whether or not they were consulted.  The related budgetary items can be identified in Part 3 of the Application Form (Tell us about your budget).

Does your project include activities that are listed in the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) Physical Activities Regulations established under the Impact Assessment Act?

Please note: Applicants need to verify if the proposed activities are listed under the above Act.  Please visit the Justice Laws Website to access the Physical Activities Regulations.

Indicate 'Yes' or 'No'.

If the answer is 'No' – an impact assessment will not be required.

If answer is 'Yes', as per the Impact Assessment Act, you must submit your project description electronically to the IAAC online registry for further review. The IAAC will determine if an impact assessment is required. If required, HICC funding will be conditional on the status and results of the impact assessment. Results are accessible on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry website.

Part 3: Tell us about your budget

Estimated cost

Please input the estimated project cost as well as the amount of funding that you are requesting from HICC.

HICC uses the information provided in this section to verify that your funding request conforms to any stacking limit or requirement for funding from other sources.

"Other sources of funding" includes funds received by any source other than the STREF program you are applying to. This includes funding from your own organization.

Other sources of contributions

Please provide the total amount in cash and the total amount in kind for funding from other sources.

Please provide a complete breakdown of these contributions and indicate if this funding is secured. Although not mandatory, you can provide letters confirming the funding by uploading a document in this section.

Once you have added a contributor, save it by clicking on this icon before adding a new contributor.

Project cashflow

Applicants must provide an estimate of the project's costs for the Requested Federal Contribution only.

Please provide a breakdown of the Requested Federal Contribution for each project component (cost category) by fiscal year.

Once you have added a project component, save it by clicking on this icon before adding a new component.

Budget details

Associated businesses or individuals

Please select all statements that apply to your planned expenditures of the HICC funding.
In carrying out projects, recipients may have to purchase various goods or services needed to perform the project from contractors. Some recipients may also contract-out to third parties (i.e. outside providers) to perform part of the project activities and aid the recipient to achieve the objectives of the project.

"Associated businesses or individuals" means:

• an officer, director or employee of your organization
• a member of the immediate family of an officer, director or employee of your organization
• a business in which an officer, director or employee of your organization, or a member of the immediate family, has a financial interest, or
• a business which is related to, or associated or affiliated with, your organization

Capital assets: Are capital assets among your planned expenditures with HICC funding?

Please indicate 'Yes' or 'No'.

If 'Yes', explain how your project will benefit from the purchase of capital assets.

A capital asset is any single or composite asset with a purchase value of more than $1,000 that is not physically incorporated into another product and that remains functional at the end of the project.

A composite asset is a collection of unique assets that form one identifiable functional unit, where all components are required for the asset to be functional. The collection of assets is treated as a single capital asset if the total cost of all individual items together is greater than $1,000 (before taxes).

For example, a personal computer composed of a hard drive, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and cabling are a composite capital asset. Four $300 chairs are not capital assets because each chair is functional on its own and as single units, fall below the established threshold of $1,000 (before taxes).

Further budget details

Please use the text box to provide any additional information you would like to provide about your budget.

In addition, please provide detailed budget information in the Cost Category Details Section. Select the appropriate costs that pertain to your budget, record the amount requested and ensure to provide sufficient details in the detailed budget description text box to explain how the cost is necessary to support the project.
Note: Once you record your detailed budget information it is important to validate the budget, by clicking "validate" and then Save All. The totals for the Estimated Project total, the Cashflow total and the Detailed Budget Total must be equal in order to successfully save this section of your application.

Important: The HICC Funding Portal is a portal used for several programs. It is your responsibility as an applicant to verify if an expenditure is eligible for the program you apply for in the following sections of the guide:

• What types of expenditures are eligible?
• What types of expenditures are ineligible?

Part 4: Required documents

Required documents and other supporting documents may be attached in this section. The Government of Canada reserves the right to request additional documentation to supplement the application.

For Provinces/Territories, please attach a consent form here that was received from the municipality or Indigenous community to receive the funding and become the eligible applicant and signatory to the agreement as required in the eligibility criteria above.

Consent form

Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund Call for Proposals Consent Form
for Municipalities and Indigenous Communities

Note: As an exception, a Province or Territory may be eligible to apply to the Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund (STREF) Call for Proposals if they play a primary role in enforcing regulations that meet the STREF eligibility criteria. In such cases, the Province or Territory must obtain and submit consent from the municipality or Indigenous governing body to Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada (HICC) at the time of submission in order to receive funding and become the eligible applicant and signatory to the agreement.

This form serves as a suggested template that Provinces and Territories may use to obtain consent from the municipality or Indigenous governing body, though it is not mandatory to use this specific form.

Background information

The Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund (STREF) is a Government of Canada initiative, delivered through Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada (HICC), to support municipal and Indigenous community enforcement of existing restrictions on short-term rentals. The intended goal of the STREF is to help return short-term rentals back to the long-term housing market.  

The STREF provides grant funding to municipalities and Indigenous communities with existing strict regulatory regimes to support the local enforcement of short-term rental restrictions in an effort to make more long-term housing units available in Canada. This includes supporting the planning, implementation, enhancement, and review of short-term rental enforcement and compliance measures as well as increasing short-term rental enforcement and compliance capacity.  

HICC has launched a Call for Proposals to invite municipalities and Indigenous communities to apply for funding. Eligible applicants include municipalities and Indigenous governing bodies. Additional details about eligible organizations and eligibility requirements are available on the STREF Call for Proposal Applicant Guide.

As an exception, a Province or Territory may be eligible to apply where they play a primary role in enforcement for regulations that meet the STREF eligibility criteria. In such cases, the Province or Territory needs to receive and submit consent from the municipality or Indigenous Governing Body to HICC at the time of submission to receive the funding and become the eligible applicant and signatory to the agreement. If a Province or Territory applies and obtains funding for a Municipality or Indigenous Governing Body, this Municipality or Indigenous Governing Body cannot apply separately to obtain funding.

Part 5: Attestation

Validation status

Each section of application requires validation before submission to HICC. Once validated, the following sections will turn green:

• Organization Information
• Project Identification
• Funding
• Required Documents

If there a section that remains red, please go back to that section and confirm all required information is present and select Validate.

Privacy and attestation

Read the "Privacy and Eligibility" notice statement and select 'Yes' to confirm you have read the statement.

Select Next to proceed with the attestation. In the text boxes provided, please include:

• Your Name
• Your Position within the Organization
• Name of Organization

Using the checkbox, please select I confirm followed by Attest to complete your attestation.

If you wish to modify your application before submitting, select Cancel attestation.

Select Submit to send your application to HICC. At this point you will no longer be able to make modifications to your application.