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Cottage care

A local Responsible Person for your short-term-rental licence

Updated

Home Resetters Property Services Inc. is an incorporated property-services company with a cottage-care membership for GTA owners. Its Host tier includes acting as the local Responsible Person that many cottage-country municipalities now require on a short-term-rental licence, but only where we can meet the municipality's rule from our base in North Bay. This page sets out each municipality's rule and fee, exactly what we can promise there, and the by-law or municipal page it comes from.

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Questions first? Call (416) 474-0156 or email help@homeresetters.ca, every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The facts

60 min
West Nipissing's limit to answer and attend; the one on-site rule in our area we can meet from North Bay.
24 hours
Lake of Bays' limit to attend after a reply within the hour, which we can meet from North Bay.
30 min
Magnetawan's limit to respond to a concern. By phone, yes; at the door in that time, no.
35
Municipalities on this page, each with its rule, fee, our answer and the source (October 2026).

What the role is

Each by-law names the role a little differently. West Nipissing calls it a Dedicated Responsible Person, Lake of Bays an owner’s agent, Muskoka Lakes a person the owner assigns, and Gravenhurst asks for a signed consent form. Underneath the names the job is the same: an adult the municipality can reach about the rental, who answers when there is a complaint or an emergency and comes to the property when the rule says to. Several by-laws put that person’s name on the licence, and some publish it on the municipal website or on a sign at the property.

The role matters most to owners who live in the GTA, because the rules were written with absent owners in mind. A host in Toronto cannot be on Lake Nipissing’s north shore within the hour. A person based in North Bay can, and that is the whole case for the service.

Four kinds of rule

Read the table on this page by its contact rule, because the time limit decides everything else.

Someone there within the hour. West Nipissing, Huntsville, Gravenhurst, Muskoka Lakes and Georgian Bay Township want the Responsible Person at the property within 60 minutes; Bracebridge’s wording asks for a response to complaints within one hour. These are the strictest rules in cottage country, and distance decides who can meet them.

A response within half an hour. Magnetawan fines an operator who fails to respond to a concern within 30 minutes. The wording is about responding, which is different from attending.

A reply within an hour, a visit within a day. Lake of Bays and the four Haliburton townships, Dysart et al, Minden Hills, Algonquin Highlands and Highlands East, give the Responsible Person an hour to answer and 24 hours to attend.

No timed rule. North Bay licenses rentals, but we could not confirm a contact clause from the by-law text. East Ferris publishes a contact for each rental with no response time. Temagami is reported to have passed a by-law whose text we have not seen. Everywhere else on the table there is no licensing by-law at all, or one under review.

What we can promise from North Bay

We can be the Responsible Person in West Nipissing, where Sturgeon Falls is about 30 minutes away, and in Lake of Bays, where the 24-hour attendance window is comfortably inside our reach. In East Ferris, 14 minutes from North Bay, we can be the published contact if you want one close to the property. In Magnetawan we can take the phone side of the rule; we cannot be at the door within half an hour, and we will not pretend otherwise.

Huntsville needs a local partner within the hour; until that partner is named, we do not offer the role there. Muskoka Lakes, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Georgian Bay Township are outside our service area from North Bay, and their one-hour rules would be out of reach even if they were not. Haliburton’s four townships have a rule we could meet from the Barrie area, which is our fallback base, but not from North Bay.

How it works on the Host tier

Before your season we read the current by-law text for your municipality, since these by-laws change often, and confirm that the rule is one we can meet at your address. You apply for the licence and name us where the form asks for the Responsible Person. During your season we take the calls, handle what guests need, attend within the by-law’s limit, and coordinate your cleaners between stays. Anything that happens is written up for you, with photos.

What is included

  • Being named as the Responsible Person on your licence, where the municipality's rule can be met from North Bay
  • Taking the municipality's calls and your guests' problems during your rental season
  • Attending the property within the time the by-law sets, where that time is reachable from North Bay
  • Turnovers coordinated with your cleaners between stays
  • Everything in the Seasons tier, from checks to the spring opening and fall closing

Not included, and who handles it

  • Applying for and holding the licence itself, which stays with you as the owner.
  • The role anywhere its time limit is out of reach from North Bay, including Huntsville until a named local partner is in place.
  • Legal advice on a by-law. We report what the published text says; the municipality decides how it applies to you.
  • Cleaning between guests. We coordinate your cleaners rather than clean ourselves.

Questions people ask

Can you be my Responsible Person in Huntsville?

Not by ourselves. Huntsville wants someone on site within 60 minutes, and Huntsville is about 95 minutes from North Bay. We offer the role there only with a named local partner who can meet the hour. That partner is TBD, so for now the answer is no.

My township has no rule. Do I need a Responsible Person?

Not for a licence, if the township has no licensing by-law. Check again before each season, though: several townships on this page were reviewing their rules in 2025 and 2026.

What happens when a by-law changes?

We update the municipality's entry and the date at the top of this page. If a change puts a rule out of our reach, we tell the hosts it affects before their next season, not after.

Sources

  1. By-law 2024/23, short-term rental accommodations, Municipality of West Nipissing
  2. Short-term rentals, Township of Lake of Bays
  3. Short-term rental licensing, Town of Huntsville
  4. 2025 short-term accommodation licence application, Municipality of Magnetawan

The rules, municipality by municipality

Every municipality we researched, as we last checked them on October 5, 2026. Those with a rule, or a municipal page to cite, are grouped by how fast their rule wants someone to respond or attend, each with a link to the by-law or the municipal page; the rest are named under the table. Anything we could not read in the by-law itself is marked "reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text".

Short-term-rental Responsible Person rules by municipality
Municipality Licensing Licence fee Contact rule What we can do from North Bay Source
Someone there within an hour
Georgian Bay Township District of Muskoka In force Registration By-law 2023-116, passed 11 December 2023. $250 for a light host (21 days or fewer) or $1,000 regular, plus a $100 review fee Someone there within an hour A Responsible Person assigned by the owner, who "must be available to attend to the property within 60 minutes". No No. Georgian Bay Township is outside our service area.
Gravenhurst District of Muskoka In force By-law 2022-058, adopted 31 May 2022, with licensing from 1 January 2023. Licences run from 1 January to 31 December, and penalties fall under AMPS By-law 2022-103. $750 under the 2025 fees by-law (2024-88); $800 for 2026 Someone there within an hour A Responsible Person who signs the town's consent form and can be "readily contacted by the Town within 30 minutes", with "attendance on the STR premises within 60 minutes". No No. Gravenhurst is about 2 hours 6 minutes from North Bay (2 h 28 by router); even from Barrie it is about 63 minutes by router.
Huntsville District of Muskoka In force By-law 2025-19, passed 24 February 2025, replacing three earlier by-laws. Licences are capped at 250, an owner must have held the property for a year (from July 2025), rentals are banned in the UR1 precinct (September 2025), and three valid complaints in two years revoke a licence. 2026: $750 for a new principal-residence licence, $1,000 for a secondary one; renewals $375 and $750 Someone there within an hour An owner or agent, 18 or older, who can be "readily contacted within thirty (30) minutes" and attend on site "within sixty (60) minutes". A boat-access property must keep a boat so it can be reached within the hour. Only with a local partner Only with a named local partner (TBD). Huntsville is about 95 minutes from North Bay (111 by router), so we cannot reach a property within the hour ourselves.
Muskoka Lakes District of Muskoka In force By-law 2025-049, effective 16 April 2025, with a demerit system (15 points suspends a licence) and a complaint line open around the clock. $1,000 in waterfront and R4 zones, $500 in other zones Someone there within an hour A Responsible Person assigned by the owner, who must be "physically at the Short Term Rental Accommodation within a period of no greater than one (1) hour from when communication is sent from the Township". No No. Port Carling is about 2 hours 8 minutes from North Bay (2 h 31 by router), outside our service area; even from Barrie, Muskoka Lakes is about an hour and a half by router.
West Nipissing Nipissing District In force By-law 2024/23, passed 2 April 2024. Thirteen licences were issued in 2024 and fourteen in 2025, and council was considering easing the rules in 2026. $750 for a first licence (Class A for your principal home, Class B for any other), $250 renewal, $200 inspection, $250 appeal Someone there within an hour A Dedicated Responsible Person, 18 or older, named on the licence and the municipal website, who must "respond to phone calls and/or emails and attend the short-term rental premises within 60 minutes" of an emergency or a by-law contravention. Missing the hour carries a $1,000 penalty. Yes Yes, with the Host tier. Sturgeon Falls is about 30 minutes from North Bay (35 by router), inside the hour; the West Arm is farther, so we check the drive to your address before we sign on.
A response within an hour
Bracebridge District of Muskoka In force Licensing in force since 1 January 2024 (By-law 2024-060 is referenced), with a 4% municipal accommodation tax from 1 October 2025. $1,500 a year A response within an hour A Responsible Person, the owner or an appointee 18 or older, "required to respond to complaints within 1 hour". No No. Bracebridge is about 1 hour 49 minutes from North Bay (2 h 17 by router); from Barrie it is about 76 minutes by router.
A response within 30 minutes
Magnetawan Parry Sound District In force By-law 2023-54 (October 2023) licenses short-term accommodation, with a cap of 170 licences, a seven-night minimum stay and $2 million to $5 million of liability insurance. $1,000 application (2025 form) A response within 30 minutes The operator must respond to concerns: "Failure to respond to concern within thirty (30) minutes" carries a $1,500 penalty and four demerit points. By phone only A phone response, yes. Being there in person within half an hour, no: Magnetawan is about 65 minutes from North Bay (76 by router).
A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours
Algonquin Highlands Haliburton County In force By-law 2024-81, passed 15 August 2024 and in force since 1 October 2024, replacing By-law 2024-20; a 4% municipal accommodation tax under By-law 2024-46. Set in the Fees and Charges By-law; the amount is not published on the township page Fee not yet confirmed from the by-law text A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours A Responsible Person who will "respond within sixty (60) minutes" and "attend" the premises "within twenty-four (24) hours". No Not from North Bay. Algonquin Highlands is outside our service area.
Dysart et al Haliburton County In force By-law 2024-14, passed 27 February 2024 and in force since 1 October 2024, with a 2% municipal accommodation tax. $500 a year (non-refundable); $150 re-inspection A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours The owner, an agent or a Responsible Person must "respond within sixty (60) minutes" to an emergency and attend "within twenty-four (24) hours" of being notified. No Not from North Bay: Haliburton village is about 2 hours 52 minutes away (3 h 22 by router), outside our service area. It comes within reach only if our base moves to the Barrie area, 2 h 24 by router.
Highlands East Haliburton County In force By-law 2024-32, in force since 1 October 2024, with a 4% municipal accommodation tax. $500 a year; $150 inspection or re-inspection A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours A Responsible Person who will "respond within sixty (60) minutes to an emergency call" and "attend" the premises "within twenty-four (24) hours". No Not from North Bay. Highlands East is outside our service area.
Lake of Bays District of Muskoka In force Licensed since By-law 2021-092 (passed 14 September 2021); By-law 2024-065 is the current one. Applications go through Cloudpermit, and the township asks for 45 days. $1,000 application, $900 renewal (Fees By-law 2025-161, in force 1 January 2026) Fee reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours An owner or owner's agent, the Responsible Person, who can be "readily contacted within sixty (60) minutes" and will "attend" the premises "within twenty-four (24) hours" of being notified. Yes Yes, with the Host tier: the rule asks for a reply within the hour and a visit within a day. Dwight is about 110 minutes from North Bay (129 by router), Dorset about 125 (147).
Minden Hills Haliburton County In force By-law 24-31, passed 14 March 2024 and in force since 1 October 2024, with a 4% municipal accommodation tax. $500 initial licence, $500 renewal A reply within an hour, a visit within 24 hours A Responsible Person, named on a sign the by-law requires, who responds within 60 minutes and attends within 24 hours. No Not from North Bay: Minden is about 2 hours 45 minutes away (3 h 14 by router). From Barrie it is about two hours by router.
A published contact, no time limit
East Ferris Nipissing District In force By-law 2022-36, in force since 12 July 2022. A licence covers three or five months of the year and requires $2 million of liability insurance; two licences were issued in 2022 and five in 2023. $750 a year for a three-month licence, $1,000 for a five-month licence A published contact, no time limit A public contact for the rental, by email and phone, posted on the municipal website. No response time is set. Yes Yes, if you want that contact close by: Corbeil is about 14 minutes from North Bay. Checks and openings too.
Not yet confirmed
North Bay Nipissing District In force By-law 2022-77 licenses short-term rentals. Eight were registered by January 2026, and a motion to review the by-law lost 5-5 on 27 January 2026 and again on reconsideration on 24 February 2026. $600 application, $275 renewal, $1,600 appeal Fee reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text Not yet confirmed Contact rule not yet confirmed from the by-law text Not yet known Checks and openings, yes: North Bay is our base from January 2027. Whether the by-law asks for a local contact, and how fast, is not yet confirmed, so we confirm it with the city before taking on that role.
Temagami Nipissing District Reported Council approved a short-term-rental licensing by-law on 27 March 2025. No by-law text was found on the municipal website. Status reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text Not known Fee not yet confirmed from the by-law text Not yet confirmed Contact rule not yet confirmed from the by-law text Not yet known Checks and openings, yes, about 73 minutes from North Bay (85 by router). Whether the by-law sets a local-contact rule is not yet known.
No contact rule
Armour Parry Sound District None found No short-term-rental licensing by-law found on the township's planning pages. No licence No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule found. Checks and openings, yes; Armour is 42 to 70 minutes from North Bay, like the rest of northern Almaguin.
Callander Parry Sound District None found No short-term-rental by-law in force. The draft Official Plan commits to "a short-term rental accommodation framework that addresses information, education, registration, licensing, regulation, taxation and enforcement". No licence No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule today. Checks and openings, yes; Callander is about 15 minutes from North Bay.
Kearney Parry Sound District None found No licensing by-law found. The document indexed online as By-law 2024-28 is a trailer licence by-law (2024-24), and Zoning By-law 2022-20 governs short-term rentals. Status not yet confirmed from the by-law text No licence No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule found. Checks, openings and closings, yes; Kearney is about 85 minutes from North Bay (100 by router).
McMurrich/Monteith Parry Sound District None found No licensing by-law found. The by-law officer covers property standards, animals, zoning, dumping and trailers. No licence No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule found. Checks, openings and closings, yes, in the 85-to-100-minute ring with Kearney and Perry.
Perry Parry Sound District Proposed No licensing by-law in force. A revised short-term-rental and bed-and-breakfast licensing by-law is in development, after council discussion in April 2025 and a workshop in November 2025. Status reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text No licence yet No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule today. Checks, openings and closings, yes; Perry's Emsdale area is part of the 85-to-100-minute ring south of Kearney.
Seguin Parry Sound District Being reconsidered Council rejected licensing on 13 March 2023 in favour of quality-of-life by-laws (May 2023), then voted on 5 August 2025 to reconsider a draft with a 300-licence cap, 92 rental days a year and a six-day minimum stay. What happened after August 2025 is not known. Status reported, not yet confirmed from the by-law text No licence yet No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule today. Seguin is outside our service area.
Strong Parry Sound District Under review No by-law. Short-term rentals are one of the topics of the Official Plan and zoning review the township launched on 29 October 2025, with a survey in December 2025 and a workshop in February 2026. No licence yet No contact rule No rule to meet No local-contact rule today. Checks and openings, yes; Strong is 42 to 70 minutes from North Bay, like the rest of northern Almaguin.

No short-term-rental licensing by-law was found in Bonfield, Burk's Falls, Calvin, Chisholm, Joly, Machar, Mattawa, Mattawan, Papineau-Cameron, Parry Sound, Ryerson, South River, and Sundridge (research, October 2026), so there is no local-contact rule to meet there. Confirm with the municipal clerk before you list.

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