When Travis and Lisa Watt learned an eightplex was coming next door, they were frustrated, but made their peace and hoped for some good neighbours.
But when people moved in, they left just as quickly. More followed. New neighbours were coming and going, again and again. The property, they surmised, was being used as a short-term rental.
“They’re in and out. They’re a busy property,” Lisa Watt said. “There were no rental signs, no open houses, no nothing.”
The couple first bought their house in Grovenor 15 years ago and quickly fell in love with the west Edmonton neighbourhood. Later, when they became more established, instead of moving away, they built their own “dream home” right there, where they still live with their two boys.
The block used to be quiet. Travis Watt, a firefighter who works nights, and his family now find themselves at odds with short-term tenants making loud noises at night while drinking or using cannabis.
Watt said what’s “basically a mini hotel” shouldn’t be operating in the middle of a quiet residential neighbourhood.
Lisa Watt, a nurse, said she’s been yelled at by tenants and is concerned for her safety.
In the weeks since tenants began rotating through, she has found listings and lodged complaints to the property’s host and Airbnb, which confirmed it knows of a listing at that address.
She also spoke with the City of Edmonton’s bylaw office about the property. She said the required business licence for the property is for an incorrect address. According to city rules, if all eight units were short-term rentals, the operator would also need a special business development permit.
While Lisa Watt has been collecting documents and evidence, she said the bylaw office told her there wasn’t enough to move forward with enforcement.
Property built using CMHC incentives
Postmedia visited the property in late June and spoke with tenants who confirmed they booked a stay through Airbnb. Another guest, who posted reviews on the platform, said they stayed at that address.
Mortgage documents obtained by Postmedia show the property was financed using a federal incentive meant for affordable rentals. Documents say the owner must operate all eight units as rental accommodations, lease one-quarter of the units at affordable rates and may not convert the property for business, commercial or hotel use.
A new infill development that is being used as an Airbnb, 10631 148 St. NW, in Edmonton Thursday July 2, 2026.
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which provides affordable housing incentives through loan and insurance products, told Postmedia that using any part of a property as a hotel or short-term rental would be against its rules.
“Non-compliance with this requirement would put the loan in default, which would be addressed on a case-by-case basis,” CMHC spokesperson David Harris said.
Airbnb doesn’t require users to list exact addresses, but Postmedia found eight listings with similar features in close proximity. The listings fell under the same host, who also manages more than 50 others.
Those eight Grovenor listings were taken down this week, and Postmedia was unable to make contact with the Airbnb host. The property’s owner is listed as an Alberta numbered corporation based in Burlington, Ont. Postmedia sent questions to an email listed in those records, but did not hear back before publication.
Reeling in short-term rentals
Residents in mature neighbourhoods have been pushing back on the city’s zoning policy, which allows for properties with up to eight units to be built in mature neighbourhoods. At the same time, the federal government and CMHC have begun providing more incentives to get affordable housing financed and built quickly. All the while, Airbnbs have been growing in popularity in Edmonton.
Residents like the Watts and others worry that policy from all levels of government, meant for affordable housing, is now spurring on short-term rentals like this one.
“If people need places to live, then why are these turning into hotels?” Travis Watt said.
Edmonton’s urban planning committee is set to receive a report before fall, outlining options to manage short-term rentals.
Nakota Isga Coun. Reed Clarke has spoken with the Watts and is familiar with the situation in Grovenor. He said short-term rentals should be an option for people, but there needs to be more rules on how they’re operated, built and located, and there should be more oversight.
“People want to see that the laws we have are actually being held up, and that people are making sure there’s repercussions,” Clarke said.
Aisha Siddiqui, a spokesperson with the urban planning and economy department, said in a Friday email that the city is “aware of complaints related to 10631 148 St. NW, and currently has an open investigation related to an unlicensed business complaint.”
“The city cannot provide more specific information on the status of an investigation, or any enforcement action that has been taken, due to privacy considerations under the Access to Information Act,” she added.
Lisa Watt, who first learned that the mortgage for the property didn’t allow short-term rentals, said she’s been trying to report her findings to CMHC. A response email pointed her towards the RCMP, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and regulators.
The RCMP told Lisa to speak with local police, who, in turn, pointed Watt back towards the bylaw office.
After more than 15 years in the neighbourhood, the couple is thinking it might be time to move.
Now, Travis Watt sends his wife links to homes for sale. All of them are outside the city limits.
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