The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake has launched a short-term rental compliance program, offering 24/7 support for complaints against licensed rentals in town.

The program, administered by Granicus, a company that specializes in monitoring rental units, will also help the town crack down on unlicensed operators.

“(Granicus’) access to information is much better than the town’s accessed information on advertising,” Lord Mayor Betty Disero said in an interview.

The company can cross-reference listed short-term rentals with the town’s list of registered rentals.

A report by Granicus in March said there could be over 200 unlicensed rentals operating in the municipality.

Granicus can put together packages and reports regarding specific rentals with documents supplied by residents and people registering complaints. This will help with pinpointing unlicensed operators and bringing them into compliance, according to Disero.

The program lets people call a hotline number or use an online system to report complaints about bylaw violations too Granicus.

The complaints are forwarded to the manager of the rental in question, who then has 45 minutes to respond or face fines, the town said in announcing the new program.

Fines will vary depending on the nature of the complaint, Disero said.

“It’s not going to replace our bylaw officers. It’s to help improve the quality of service that we offer through our bylaw department.”

See the town's website for more details on the program.