ComplianceMay 2026·11 min read

BC Short-Term Rental Act 2024: Complete Guide for Realtors and Property Owners

BC's Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act came into force May 1, 2024, fundamentally changing what is allowed on Airbnb, VRBO, and similar platforms across the province. Here is what every realtor and property owner needs to know.

What Is the BC Short-Term Rental Act?

The Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (SBC 2023, c. 49) is provincial legislation that restricts short-term rentals — defined as accommodations rented for fewer than 90 consecutive nights — to a host's principal residence. The Act came into force on May 1, 2024 and applies to most municipalities in BC with a population over 10,000.

The Act was introduced in response to BC's housing crisis, with the government's aim of returning thousands of investor-owned short-term rental properties to the long-term rental market.

The Core Rule in Plain Language

Starting May 1, 2024, in most BC municipalities with 10,000+ residents, you can only list a property as a short-term rental (Airbnb, VRBO, etc.) if:

→ It is your principal residence (where you primarily live), OR
→ It is one additional unit on the same property as your principal residence (e.g., basement suite, carriage house, laneway home)

A second condo, an investment property, or any property that is not your primary home can no longer be listed as a short-term rental in most BC municipalities.

Key Provisions of the STR Act

Provision	Details
Principal residence requirement	STRs restricted to host's principal residence + one additional unit on same property
Definition of 'short-term rental'	Rental for consideration, fewer than 90 consecutive days (not 30 as previously)
Business licence requirement	Hosts must have a valid local government business licence to list
Platform obligations	Platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) must remove listings without valid business licences within 5 days of notification
Platform data sharing	Platforms must provide STR data to province within 30 days of request
Host penalties	Up to $3,000 per day per infraction for non-compliant hosts
Platform penalties	Up to $10,000 per day for listing non-compliant properties after notification
Effective date	May 1, 2024 (principal residence requirement); November 1, 2024 (platform enforcement provisions)
Strata bylaw override	Stratas may impose stricter rules than the Act — their bylaws still apply

Which Communities Are Affected?

The principal residence requirement applies to municipalities and regional district electoral areas with a population of 10,000 or more. Communities below this threshold are exempt by default but can opt in.

Communities Where STR Act Applies

✗Metro Vancouver (all municipalities)
✗Fraser Valley (Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Langley, etc.)
✗Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt
✗Kelowna, West Kelowna
✗Kamloops
✗Prince George
✗Nanaimo, Courtenay, Campbell River
✗Any community 10,000+ population

Communities Exempt or With Special Rules

✓Communities under 10,000 population (exempt by default)
✓Whistler (resort municipality — may apply for exemption)
✓Tofino (resort municipality — may apply for exemption)
✓Sun Peaks (resort municipality)
✓Radium Hot Springs, Golden (resort status eligible)
✓Northern rural communities (BC Interior small towns)
✓Unincorporated areas outside regional districts
✓Areas that opted out of STR regulation

Resort Municipality Exemptions:Resort municipalities can apply to the province to allow broader STR activity. Whistler, for example, has a large inventory of visitor accommodation that is economically dependent on STR — the government has been working with resort communities on their specific needs. Check the BC government's STR registry for current community-specific rules.

What "Principal Residence" Means

The Act defines principal residence as the property where a person lives and pays taxes, subject to the Ministry of Finance's interpretation. In practice, this means:

→ The address on your BC driver's licence, income tax return, and provincial health care registration must match
→ You must actually live there — owning a property and claiming it as principal residence for STR purposes while living elsewhere is not compliant
→ A corporation cannot have a principal residence — corporate-owned STRs are not permitted under the Act unless the individual director lives there
→ Snowbirds who spend part of the year in BC may face scrutiny if their primary ties (income, health care, ID) are elsewhere

Scenario	Permitted Under STR Act?
Owner lives in condo, rents it out on Airbnb for 2 weeks while on vacation	Yes — principal residence
Owner lives in main house, rents out basement suite on Airbnb	Yes — one additional unit on same property
Owner lives in main house, rents out detached laneway home on Airbnb	Yes — one additional unit on same property
Owner rents out a second condo they own as investment	No — not a principal residence
Owner rents out a property they own but don't live in	No — not a principal residence
Corporation lists a rental unit on Airbnb	No — corporations cannot have a principal residence
Owner rents both basement suite AND laneway home short-term	Partially — only one additional unit is permitted, not both
Owner in a resort community (Whistler, Tofino) with resort exemption	Depends — check current exemption status

Business Licence Requirements

Even if a host qualifies under the principal residence rule, they must also have a valid local government business licence for short-term rentals. The process varies by municipality:

City of Vancouver

Short-Term Rental Business Licence required. Annual fee ~$49. Must provide proof of principal residence, strata approval (if applicable), and property address. Inspections may be required.

City of Kelowna

Business licence + STR licence. Council has implemented stricter rules in some neighbourhoods. Check zoning — STRs may be prohibited in certain residential zones regardless of principal residence.

District of West Kelowna

STR regulation in effect with business licencing. Okanagan waterfront areas have high enforcement activity.

Victoria

Short-term rental business licence required. City also enforces against unlicenced listings — has used platform data to identify non-compliant operators.

Metro Vancouver suburbs

Each municipality has its own business licensing process. Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam all have STR licensing programs in place or being implemented.

Platforms like Airbnb are now required to display the business licence number in listings and remove listings without a valid licence within 5 days of notification from the province.

Impact on Investment Properties — Before and After

Property Type	Before May 2024	After May 2024
Second condo, investor-owned, Metro Vancouver	Could list on Airbnb with local licence	Cannot list as STR — must convert to long-term rental or sell
Owner-occupied condo, rented while travelling	Could list on Airbnb	Still permitted — principal residence
Owner-occupied home with basement suite	Could list basement suite on Airbnb	Still permitted — one additional unit on same property
Kelowna vacation condo (non-principal residence)	Could list as STR in many zones	Not permitted under principal residence rule
Whistler resort property	Could list with local licence	Resort exemption may apply — check current status
Rural town under 10,000 population	Local rules applied	Act doesn't apply — pre-existing local rules remain

Speculation & Vacancy Tax Interaction

BC's Speculation & Vacancy Tax (SVT) and the STR Act interact in important ways for investment property owners. Properties that were previously exempted from SVT because they generated short-term rental income may no longer qualify for that exemption under the new STR Act restrictions.

SVT-STR Interaction Points

→ Rental income exemption: SVT exempts properties rented for at least 6 months in a calendar year. A property can still be a long-term rental to avoid SVT — the STR restriction doesn't eliminate the rental exemption.
→ Non-compliant STR + SVT: Operating an illegal STR (violating the principal residence rule) does not entitle the owner to a rental income exemption from SVT. The non-compliant income doesn't count.
→ Investor options: Owners of former investment STR properties now face a binary choice — convert to long-term rental (to get SVT rental exemption) or sell (and potentially pay capital gains).
→ Empty home + STR Act: A property that can no longer be an STR and is left vacant becomes subject to both SVT and any applicable municipal Empty Homes Tax.

Strata Bylaws and the STR Act

The STR Act is the provincial floor — strata corporations can be more restrictive, but not less. A strata can pass a bylaw prohibiting all short-term rentals, even if the owner lives in the unit. This creates a two-layer compliance requirement for condo owners:

Layer 1: STR Act

→ Province-wide minimum standard
→ Principal residence + one additional unit
→ Business licence required
→ Enforced by province + local government

Layer 2: Strata Bylaws

→ Building-specific rules — can ban all STRs
→ Bylaws passed by 3/4 owner vote
→ Fines up to $1,000/week for bylaw violations (SPA s. 130)
→ Strata can demand access to Airbnb listing data as evidence

When listing a strata property, realtors must check both the STR Act requirements AND the strata bylaws. A buyer who purchases a condo thinking they can run it as an Airbnb (because their principal residence allows it under the Act) could discover the strata's bylaws prohibit it entirely.

Realtor Advisory Guide — STR Properties

Listing a property previously used as an investment STR

→Disclose that the property may no longer qualify as a short-term rental in the MLS listing and property disclosure statement.
→Do not market the property as 'Airbnb-ready' or 'established vacation rental' unless it genuinely qualifies under the STR Act (principal residence or resort exemption).
→Research the community's current STR exemption status before making representations about STR potential.
→Advise sellers to convert to a long-term rental or document compliance before listing to avoid fair representation issues.

Buyer wants to purchase a property for STR income

→Confirm whether the community is covered by the principal residence requirement.
→Advise the buyer that investment property STRs are not permitted in most BC municipalities — they would need to make it their principal residence.
→If the buyer is considering a resort community, confirm the current exemption status directly with the municipality.
→Check the strata bylaws for STR restrictions if the property is strata-titled.
→Document your advisory in writing (CRM notes or email) — this protects you if the buyer later claims they were misled about STR potential.

Buyer asks if they can buy a condo to live in and rent on Airbnb part-time

→If it's their principal residence and they rent it while travelling or absent, this is generally permitted under the STR Act.
→Still need to check strata bylaws — the strata may prohibit all STRs regardless of principal residence.
→Must obtain a local business licence for STR operations.
→Advise them to consult the municipality's STR licensing office before purchasing if this income is central to their financial plan.

Market Impact and Observations

The STR Act has had measurable effects on BC's property market since May 2024:

Long-term rental supply

Thousands of units previously operating as short-term rentals converted to long-term rentals or were listed for sale. In Metro Vancouver, vacancy rates increased modestly in some areas, though rent reductions remain limited.

STR property sales

Some investors who could no longer operate profitable STRs chose to sell. Properties that were marketed as 'Airbnb income' needed to be repositioned as long-term rentals or primary residences for buyers.

Resort market divergence

Areas with resort exemptions (certain Okanagan properties, some northern BC communities) became more attractive to STR investors, with increased buyer interest in eligible properties.

Platform compliance

Airbnb and VRBO implemented business licence display requirements and began removing unlicenced listings. The visible inventory of BC STR listings dropped significantly in major markets.

Legal STR premium

Properties that legally qualify for STR (principal residence with proper licensing, or resort exemption properties) command a premium — buyers with STR intent are willing to pay more for compliant properties.

Strata STR bylaw wave

Many strata corporations passed new bylaws restricting or banning STRs in 2023–2024 in anticipation of the Act. Buyers of resale condos must review strata documents carefully.

Enforcement — What You Need to Know

Who	Maximum Penalty	How Enforced
Hosts violating principal residence requirement	$3,000/day per infraction	Complaints, platform data, provincial inspectors
Hosts without valid business licence	$3,000/day per infraction	Municipality business licensing enforcement
Platforms listing non-compliant STRs	$10,000/day after notification	Provincial order to remove; data-sharing requirements
Hosts who fail to provide required information	$500/day	Provincial inspector orders

The province has appointed STR compliance officers and shares data with local governments. Platforms are required to provide listing data to the province on request, making enforcement of the principal residence rule much more practical than under previous voluntary frameworks.

FAQ

What is BC's Short-Term Rental Act?+

The Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (SBC 2023, c. 49) came into force May 1, 2024. It restricts short-term rentals (under 90 consecutive days) across BC to a host's principal residence, plus one additional unit on the same property. Secondary investment properties cannot generally be listed on Airbnb or VRBO in most BC municipalities.

What are the penalties for violating BC's STR Act?+

Penalties for hosts who violate the STR Act can reach $3,000 per day per infraction. Platforms (Airbnb, VRBO) can face penalties of up to $10,000 per day if they list non-compliant properties after being notified.

Are there any exemptions to BC's STR principal residence rule?+

Yes. Communities with a population of 10,000 or fewer are exempt from the principal residence requirement. Resort municipalities like Whistler, Tofino, and Sun Peaks may apply for exemptions that allow broader STR activity. Hotels, motels, and licensed bed and breakfasts may also be exempt.

Can strata corporations still restrict short-term rentals under the STR Act?+

Yes. Stratas retain the right to pass bylaws that are more restrictive than the STR Act — they can prohibit all short-term rentals, even if the owner's principal residence is in the building. Always check the strata bylaws for STR restrictions when listing or buying a condo.

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