White detached single-family house with a short hedge and sidewalk in the foreground

Long-term rental business licence

To rent a residential property you own for 30 days or more at a time, you need a rental property business licence. Even if you hire a property manager.

Properties you can rent

You can rent the following:

One-family dwelling
Laneway house
Secondary suite
Duplex
Apartment house
Residential/commercial building
Multiple conversion dwelling
Rooming house
- If you have 1 or 2 tenants living with you in your house, such as exchange students, you don't need a business licence
- If you have 3 or more tenants in your house, you need a general business licence

More details

Read a description of these properties.

One-family dwelling

Main building on a property with one dwelling unit

Laneway house

Separate dwelling unit in the rear yard of a property with an existing one-family dwelling

Secondary suite

Separate dwelling unit within a building that has a one-family dwelling, only smaller

Duplex

Building with two dwelling units

Apartment house

Building, possibly a strata, with three or more dwelling units

Residential/commercial building

Building with commercial space on the main floor and dwelling units on the second floor

Multiple conversion dwelling

Building converted to have a combination of two or more sleeping units, housekeeping units, or dwelling units

Rooming house

Building with sleeping units

Dwelling unit

Separate unit equipped to sleep, sit, and cook, with its own bathroom

Housekeeping unit

Separate unit equipped to sleep, sit, and cook, with a shared bathroom

Sleeping unit

Separate unit equipped to sleep and sit, with a shared bathroom

Fees and how to pay

Application fee for new business licence

$60
Non-refundable fee

Licence fee

$36 to 74 per unit (except the unit occupied by the owner) based on the type of property and unit
Annual fee
Licence expires each year on December 31
Fee is prorated in your first year based on when you start business

Type of rental property	Type of unit	Annual fee
One-family dwelling, Laneway house, Secondary suite, Duplex, and Residential/commercial building	Dwelling unit	$74
Apartment house	Dwelling unit	$76
Multiple conversion dwelling	Dwelling unit	$74
Multiple conversion dwelling	Housekeeping unit	$54
Multiple conversion dwelling	Sleeping unit	$36
Rooming house	Sleeping unit	$36

For the official fees, refer to the Business Licence Fees in Schedules A and B of the License By-law (380 KB).

How to pay

Pay by:

Cash
Cheque or money order (made payable to the City of Vancouver)
Debit card
Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)

We don't accept credit card cheques.

Applying for a licence

Complete the rental property application (74 KB).
Gather the following documents, based on who applies and your business structure.
As a business owner, you need:
1. Copy of your current, government-issued photo ID
As a representative applying for the licence, you need:
1. Copy of the business owner's current, government-issued photo ID
2. Copy of your own current, government-issued photo ID
3. Letter of authorization from the business owner (60 KB)
As a limited or incorporated business, you need:
1. Copy of the business owner's current, government-issued photo ID
2. Provincial or extra-provincial certificate of incorporation issued by the BC Corporate Registry (A federal certificate of incorporation issued by Industry Canada won't be accepted)
3. Notice of Articles showing your company's list of directors
Apply in person or by mail with your application, required documents, and fee payment to the address below.