Civic Info Polled Local Governments Across British Columbia on the Topic of Short-Term Rental Regulations, Receiving Responses from 30 Per Cent of British Columbia Local Governments.

The results revealed that regulations pertaining to short-term rentals vary, reflecting the unique needs and priorities of each jurisdiction. Of those that responded, only 33 per cent of local governments currently have regulations in place governing short-term rentals.

KEY FINDINGS

Rental Permissions:

• 78 per cent of surveyed local governments allow suites in owner-occupied residences to be rented as short-term rentals.
• 67 per cent of surveyed local governments permit the renting of entire homes as short-term rentals.

Community Concerns:

• Housing availability was the most cited concern, with 72 per cent of respondents considering the impacts of short-term rentals on the local residential rental market.
• Noise was a concern for 53.7 per cent of the respondents.
• Parking was identified as a concern by 48.15 per cent of the respondents.
• Safety was mentioned as a concern by 29.63 per cent of the respondents.
• Other concerns included garbage management (25.93 per cent) and the cost of permits (5.56 per cent).

Enforcement and Licensing:

• Concerns were raised regarding local government’s ability to track and enforce short-term rental regulations and licensing.
• Less than 10 per cent of the respondents reported actively issuing fines for non-compliance in 2022.
• Two thirds of local government respondents rely on their regular business licensing practices for shortterm rentals.
• Only one third of local government respondents reported having a stand-alone business license policy specifically for short-term rentals.

This report provides a snapshot of the current state of short-term rental regulations in BC. For more detailed results on this topic or any other past questions, please contact surveys@civicinfo.bc.ca.

For detailed results for this question or any past question, please contact surveys@civicinfo.bc.ca.

Thank you to all who participated in this questionnaire. The online Forum is a great place to continue the conversation. 

If you would like to contribute topics for upcoming questions, please contact office@gfoabc.ca or (250) 382-6871.