Short Term Rental Accommodations

FAQ

• What does the Act apply to?

  The Act applies to short-term rentals being offered to the public including:

  • Offers hosted on a platform, where people reserve and pay for the rental service, such as Airbnb or VRBO
  • Offers listed on other web forums, such as Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, or Craigslist
  • Listings in newspaper classified ads

  The Act will not apply to:

  • Reserve lands
  • Nisga’a Lands or the Treaty Lands of a Treaty First Nation (unless the Nation chooses to opt into all or part of the legislation through coordination agreement with the Province
  • Hotels and motels
  • A vehicle, such as an RV
  • A tent or other temporary shelter.
• What are my options to pursue a short-term rental use?

  A Temporary Use Permit (TUP) application or a rezoning application. 

  • Temporary Use Permit. A temporary use permit (TUP) is an application to allow for a use of land, on a temporary basis, not otherwise permitted in the Zoning Bylaw. The maximum allowable timeline is 3 years, with an opportunity for one extension (so a maximum of 6 years), as per the BC Local Government Act. The application is considered by the Advisory Planning Commission, Electoral Area Services Committee and the Board of Directors. Feedback will be solicited from adjacent property owners by the CVRD prior to the Electoral Area Services Committee meeting. The application cost for a TUP is $1,500. An estimated timeline for a TUP would be approximately 6 months.
    To submit this application, an applicant must supply the following documents:
    • Pre-Application Consultation Request Form
    • Completed application form
    • Land title: CVRD staff will pull the land title for you
    • Written statement explaining the temporary nature of the proposal, a rationale for the requested duration, any alterations to land, buildings, or structures, any expected phases that will change the intensity or scale of the use, and the condition of land expected following the expiration of the permit
       
  • Rezoning Application. An application for rezoning can be submitted to propose a change to the land use of a property. For example, you could potentially apply for a zone exception to the current zoning of the property to permit one tourist housing unit. A rezoning application involves referral to the Advisory Planning Commission, referrals to external agencies, soliciting feedback from adjacent property owners by the CVRD, a public hearing, and four readings of the proposed bylaw by the CVRD Board. The application cost for a rezoning pertaining to a zone exception is $2,000. An estimated timeline for a rezoning would be approximately 1year+.
    To submit this application, an applicant must supply the following documents:
    • Pre-Application Consultation Request Form
    • Completed application form
    • Land title: CVRD staff will pull the land title for you
    • Proposal including any applicable professional reports and site plans: an applicant can hire a surveyor or other professional to create the reports/site plans that are required.
• Does my property’s zoning permit short-term rentals?

  •  Residential zones do not permit short-term rentals, except in the form of a “bed and breakfast” (as defined in the Zoning Bylaw and subject to the Home Occupation regulations found in section 305 of the Zoning Bylaw).
  • “Short-term rentals” are permitted in some commercial zones as tourist accommodations. 
    • Tourist accommodation means a permanent building temporary accommodation for the travelling public, such as cabins, lodges, motels, hotels, inns, hostels, park model trailers, or resorts. These may include common public facilities, such as a dining room, restaurant, liquor licensed establishments, retail, service establishment, or spa, but does not include recreational vehicles (RV) or mobile homes.
• How long is a short-term rental?

  The Provincial Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act considers that short-term rentals are "accommodations provided to members of the public in a host’s property, in exchange for money, for a period of less than 90 consecutive days. They are generally tourist accommodations that are often found in residential or resort areas.”  

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