Article content
The provincial government will reveal proposed legislative changes on Monday that will make it harder for homeowners to rent out short-term living spaces on sites like Airbnb and VRBO.
On Sunday, B.C. Premier David Eby and Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon said they would hold a press conference at 9 a.m. Monday to announce proposed legislative changes “that will return short-term rentals to long-term homes for people and give more tools and resources to ensure that rules are being followed.”
Article content
This comes after the City of Vancouver revealed it would be increasing the costs of a business licence to operate a short-term rental in the city from around $90 to $1,000.
The city has had regulations in place since 2018 to try to reduce the number of short-term rentals on offers through websites like Airbnb and VRBO as the average cost of renting a two-bedroom apartment in Vancouver has risen to $3,600 a month, according to Rentals.ca.
Last month, Kahlon said the government had been working on legislation since 2021 that would focus on the conversion of short-term rental suites back to long-term rentals while gathering more information on short-term rentals.
Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna limit short-term rentals to primary residences only, meaning the owner or tenant must also reside in the home. Vancouver has also negotiated with Airbnb (the largest short-term renter in B.C.) to only post Vancouver listings with a Vancouver business licence number.
The provincial government is already collecting an 11 per cent tax on short-term rentals through the Airbnb platform.
Share this article in your social network
