[co-author: Helen Cassie - Articling Student]
As detailed in our article, British Columbia Passes Bill 35, Advancing the Homes for People Action Plan and Addressing Short-Term Rental Surplus, the Government of British Columbia introduced the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (the Act) in 2023. On January 20, 2025, the Government made regulations under the Act (the regulations) and launched the short-term rental registry (the Registry).
Essentially, a host who operates a short-term rental property in British Columbia and advertises on listing platforms like Airbnb and VRBO must now enroll with the Registry, in addition to the rules and other requirements set out by the local government in each respective municipality.
To enroll, hosts must complete an online application through an existing BC Registries or BC Services Card account.
Short-term rental property hosts will receive a provincial registration number that must be displayed on any online listing beginning May 1, 2025. Failure to do so will result in the removal of such listing. Beginning June 1, 2025, platforms must cease advertising, prevent any new bookings and cancel any existing bookings for any short-term rental listing that does not contain a valid registration number.
The registration fees, per year, are:
- $100 for a rental property where the host resides, such as an entire home rented out while the host is away or a bedroom within their home;
- $450 if the host does not live in the rental property, such as a secondary suite, cottage, or laneway home; and
- $600 for an entire strata hotel, which is defined as property where accommodation is provided in a manner similar to a hotel or motel, a strata plan is filed under the Strata Property Act and different owners own different strata lots.
If a host registers by February 28, 2025, they will receive a 50 percent discount on registration fees. If they register by March 31, 2025, they will receive a 25 percent discount. All applicants are encouraged to register early to ensure that their application can be processed before May 1, 2025.
