About short-term rentals in Vancouver

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  Why short-term rentals are allowed in Vancouver

  Vancouver is facing a housing affordability crisis. We want residents to stay, live, and build a future in Vancouver. As part of the Housing Vancouver Strategy, our short-term rental regulations:

  • Protect existing long-term rental housing and return more long-term rental housing to the market
  • Allow residents to use their principal residence to earn additional income to offset their housing costs
  • Provide safe and healthy accommodation options to support our tourism industry
  • Helps us respond to any concerns with noise, garbage, parking, and safety
  • Permit us to enforce against non-compliant and illegal operators who are using long-term rental homes as short-term rentals
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  What is allowed for short-term rental

  A short-term rental can:

  • Be an entire home, or a room within that home, that is rented for less than 30 consecutive days at a time
  • Only be operated from your principal residence – the home where you live, as an owner or tenant, and use for bills, identification, taxes, and insurance
  • Be a laneway or secondary suite ONLY if the operator lives there and it is their principal residence (not permitted if the operator lives in the primary dwelling unit on the property)
  • Be licensed ONLY to the person who resides in the property
  • Be managed and marketed by a property management company with a valid property management business licence

  Short-term rental by-law regulations

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  What is not allowed for short-term rental

  • Operating, listing, or advertising a short-term rental without displaying a valid business licence
  • Operating a short-term rental in a home that is not your principal residence
  • Operating in an unauthorized or illegal dwelling unit
  • Causing negative community impact through noise, garbage, and parking
  • Using the same licence for multiple properties
  • Using accessory buildings, like garages or studios for a short-term rental

  Note Businesses, societies, and commercial operations are ineligible to apply for a short-term rental licence.

  Note  You may get a fine if you are operating without a licence, and your licence may be suspended if you falsify information on your licence application.

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  Strengthening compliance

  Our goal is for all short-term rental operators to comply with our regulations. Our first tool is always education and awareness. If needed, we can escalate to fines, legal orders, licence suspensions or prosecution.

  Review how our compliance program works PDF file (75 KB)

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  Audits and review

  An audit is formal review of your licence application to confirm your short-term rental business qualifies under our regulations.

  During the review, you may be asked to submit:

  • Legal documentation verifying the address for the short-term rental as your principal residence
  • A strata approval letter
  • A landlord approval letter
  • Your property manager's contact information
  • Your booking calendar for the last 12 months and future reservations
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  Prohibited buildings registry

  Our prohibited buildings registry restricts the online issuance of short-term rental licences for all SRO and Rental 100 buildings and many strata buildings in Vancouver.

  Any strata whose by-laws do not permit short-term rentals in the building may contact us through their property management company to have their building added to the list. 

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  When to report a short-term rental

  Is the short-term rental:

  • Operating without a licence?
  • Not used as a principal residence?
  • Not allowed by a landlord or strata?
  • Unsafe?
  • Making a nuisance?

  Tell us now

Documents

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  By-laws

  We have three bylaws about short-term rentals that amend existing bylaws.

  By-law 12078 PDF file (30 KB)

  • About short-term rental accommodations and zoning
  • Amends Zoning and Development By-law 3575

  By-law 12079 PDF file (30 KB)

  • About short-term rental operators and the licence fee
  • Amends Licence By-law 4450

  By-law 12080 PDF file (10 KB)

  • About short-term rental fines
  • Amends Ticket Offences By-law 9360

  By-law 12581 PDF file (22 KB)

  • About Property Manager requirements and fees for short-term rentals
  • Amends Licence By-law 4450

  By-law 4450 PDF file (633 KB)

  • About the issuing of licences and the regulation of business, trades, professions, and other occupations
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  News, presentations, reports, and Council documents

  Read presentations, reports, and other Council documents about short-term rentals since 2016.

  2021

  • News: "Release of the annual highlight report"
  • Annual highlights report (2020) PDF file (480 KB)

  2020

  • News: "Submit your voice for the Short-term Rentals Community Working Group"
  • Community Working Group

  2019

  • Annual highlights report (September 2018 - December 2019:) PDF file (1.4 MB)
  • Meeting minutes "A By-law to amend License By-law No. 4450 Regarding Short Term Rental Regulations and Property Managers (By-law No. 12581):" (November 26, 2019) PDF file (213 KB)
  • News "City strengthens short-term rental regulations after first year shows results" (November 7, 2019)
  • Staff report "One-year review of the Short-term Rental (STR) program" (November 6, 2019) PDF file (290 KB)
  • Staff presentation "One-year review of the Short-term Rental (STR) program" (November 6, 2019) PDF file (2.5 MB)
  • News "First year of short term rentals program yields high licence compliance and escalated enforcement" (September 5, 2019)
  • News "More than 800 suspected unauthorized short-term rental properties actively under enforcement" (March 14, 2019)

  2018

  • News: "City sees steady progress in short-term rentals enforcement" (December 10, 2018)
  • News: "New regulations see 43% reduction in short-term rentals" (September 5, 2018)
  • News: "City's short term rental regulations take full effect September 1" (July 24, 2018)
  • News: "Initial short-term rental enforcement sees legal actions, de-listings" (May 31, 2018)
  • News: "City legalizes short-term rentals in Vancouver" (April 19, 2018)
  • Staff report: "Enactment and Implementation of Short-term Rental Regulations" (April 18, 2018) PDF file (60 KB)
  • News: "City signs first MOU in Canada with Airbnb for short-term rentals" (April 11, 2018)

  2017

  • News: "Council approves new short-term rental regulations" (November 14, 2017)
  • Council meeting minutes (November 14, 2017)PDF file (156 KB) 
  • Staff presentation:  "Regulating Short-Term Rentals in Vancouver" (October 24, 2017) PDF file (1 MB)
  • Summary and recommendation of the text amendment to the Zoning and Development Bylaw (October 24, 2017) PDF file (40 KB)
  • Responses to councillor questions (October 24, 2017) PDF file (50 KB)
  • Memo to Council: "Regulating Short-Term Rentals in Vancouver" (October 17, 2017) PDF file (320 KB)
  • News: "Vancouver takes steps towards legalizing short-term rentals" (July 11, 2017)
  • Staff presentation: "Regulating Short-Term Rentals in Vancouver" (July 11, 2017) PDF file (2 MB)
  • Staff report: "Regulating Short-Term Rentals in Vancouver" (July 11, 2017) PDF file (11 MB)
  • Responses to councillor questions (July 11, 2017) PDF file (200 KB)
  • News: "City introduces regulations for short-term rentals" (July 5, 2017)

  2016

  • News: "City continues with enforcement of illegal short-term rentals" (October 25, 2016)
  • News: "City proposes to license short-term rentals" (September 28, 2016)
  • Staff report:  "Regulating Short-Term Rentals in Vancouver" (September 28, 2016) PDF file (2 MB)
  • City of Vancouver Short-Term Rental Market Overview (August 2016) PDF file (830 KB)
  • Council motion: "Action to Strengthen Regulation of Short-Term Rentals" (April 6, 2016) PDF file (90 KB)

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