Changes to short term rentals in BC.
- Thread starter walleyes
- Start date
Salmon Seeker
Crew Member
I think it only applies to cities above a certain population. Most fishing destinations will have lower population than that limit.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Short term accommodation changes.
Overview: B.C.'s short-term rental accommodations legislation
An overview of B.C.'s short-term rental legislation
www2.gov.bc.ca
Rain City
Crew Member
Kind of a derail, but has anyone looked at the Provinces Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan? My neighbourhood will be 8 and 12 story buildings in the next 20 years. It's insane.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
I think your lot qualifies for the eight rental units with no development cost levy if you kept them all as rentals.
Rain City
Crew Member
That's the old rules. The new one is 8 story 3.0 FSR. My mom's place is by 29th (under 400m) and that would be 12 stories 5.0 FSR
Eden Island
Well-Known Member
There's quite a bit here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/...ls/principal-residence-requirement#exemptland
These sections give relief in quite a few fishing areas:
Types of land that are exempt from the principal residence requirement include:
These sections give relief in quite a few fishing areas:
Exempt accommodation service providers
Some types of accommodation are exempt from the principal residence requirement because restrictions on their ownership or use make them unsuitable as permanent housing. These include:- Certain strata-titled hotels or motels
- Time share properties
- Home exchanges
- Fractional ownership properties, where the owner may not use the property as a principal residence
- Lodges, i.e., overnight accommodation provided by an operator of outdoor recreational activities (e.g. hunting, fishing, water sports etc.)
- Living accommodations primarily for students and employees of an educational institution and that is owned or operated by the institution or a non-profit organization
- Strata corporation guest suites
List of exempt communities and land where the principal residence requirement does not apply
Some smaller communities and tourist destinations in B.C. are exempt from the Province’s principal residence requirement. These exempt communities, tourist destinations and other areas are listed below.Types of land that are exempt from the principal residence requirement include:
- Municipalities with populations under 10,000 and not within 15 kilometres of a larger municipality (listed below)
- Mountain resorts, including regional/destination resorts, BC Parks resorts, private ski resort areas, community ski resorts, and those approved with development pending (listed below)
- Regional district electoral areas, except the University of British Columbia and the University Endowment Land
- Trust areas under the Islands Trust Act
- Farm land (BC Assessment farm class Class 9)
InterMechanico
Well-Known Member
In Port moody center there are plans to build a total of 41 towers, many of which are up to 39 stories. Development refreshes an older city environment, and port moody center needs that, but it's so difficult to picture it complete.
The minimum ratio for developed area near transit hubs has increased to 5:1, so a minimum of 50000 ft² on a 10000 ft² piece of land. The minimum parking requirement is no longer applicable to new developments, except for commercial units which the municipality still maintains development control over
kaelc
Crew Member
I’ve heard rumours 50 year financing below prime if you turn it into a rental building for @Rain City referencing a TOD are.
Victoria only has the one TOD around the parliament buildings.
My neighbour’s lot who passed away a few months ago house will be an interesting one to watch older home on 12,000sq lot, so with new regs will allow a 6,000 square foot 4-plex. We have two bus routes at either end of the street but not so regular a service it could be a 6 plex.
In Saanich the numbers kind of work 1.3 is my guess on the property, 3M on the build and sell for 1.2 each to make 500k before the cost of capital? But who is going to pay 1.2 for a 1,500sq townhouse not downtown?
Only problem is for CRD I believe we are at close to capacity for everything? So utilities and sewage is going to be the choke point not re-zoning and permitting.
Victoria only has the one TOD around the parliament buildings.
My neighbour’s lot who passed away a few months ago house will be an interesting one to watch older home on 12,000sq lot, so with new regs will allow a 6,000 square foot 4-plex. We have two bus routes at either end of the street but not so regular a service it could be a 6 plex.
In Saanich the numbers kind of work 1.3 is my guess on the property, 3M on the build and sell for 1.2 each to make 500k before the cost of capital? But who is going to pay 1.2 for a 1,500sq townhouse not downtown?
Only problem is for CRD I believe we are at close to capacity for everything? So utilities and sewage is going to be the choke point not re-zoning and permitting.
Unreel
Well-Known Member
I wonder what impact this will have on tourism. I know in my area alot of my clients stay at str and alot of them are whole houses. A quick check on prices for this summer at a local resort show prices have skyrocketed as well. 1-2 br condo was previously $300-350 a night, now those same units are $550-650 a night. I've had alot of families stay at these condos before but now i can't image them paying $1200- almost 2 grand for 2 - 3 nights.
sly_karma
Crew Member
80,000 - 100,000 people coming into BC every year. Where we gonna put them? Sprawl further out into the sticks and up the mountainsides? More roads, more traffic, more power lines, more pressure on the wild places most of us like to go. I'd rather see increased densityin the cities, gentle density in the single family neighbourhoods (secondary suites, carriage homes).
Also we need a re-map of the ALR. We have mapping tools now that were undreamt of 50 years ago. There's land in the ALR that's never grown a crop in 120 years, and there's land currently outside the reserve that should be inside. Climate change has made some land ag suitable that wasn't considered in the 70s.
Also we need a re-map of the ALR. We have mapping tools now that were undreamt of 50 years ago. There's land in the ALR that's never grown a crop in 120 years, and there's land currently outside the reserve that should be inside. Climate change has made some land ag suitable that wasn't considered in the 70s.
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Sitkaspruce
Well-Known Member
Canada’s population booms by 430K over 3 months. What’s behind the spike? - National | Globalnews.ca
Canada came close to breaking the highest population growth rate in any quarter this July to September when it reported 430,635 new residents in the country.
globalnews.ca
More coming in.....
I wonder what the costs of a hotel/motel room will be when they take away options for where people can stay. We use an Airbnb for trips because it is the only places that offer us a kitchen, parking for a boat trailer and truck and enough bedrooms for us. The Airbnb/VRBO is usually 35%-50% cheaper than staying in two room at a hotel, plus having to eat out every day.
Still not sure how it will help the housing issue.
Cheers
SS
sly_karma
Crew Member
Govt studies say 16,000 STR units that will be affected by the new legislation. Not all of them will switch to longterm rental, some will sell. Either way that is already built housing becoming available for people to live in full time.
Small communities where tourism is critical get to keep their STRs. More homes for people become available in the cities. Unlicensed hotels in residential areas go away.
Small communities where tourism is critical get to keep their STRs. More homes for people become available in the cities. Unlicensed hotels in residential areas go away.
fish brain
Crew Member
Places like Bamfield, Port Renfrew, Ucluelet, Tahsis, ect are xxempt from the STR rules.Canada’s population booms by 430K over 3 months. What’s behind the spike? - National | Globalnews.ca
Canada came close to breaking the highest population growth rate in any quarter this July to September when it reported 430,635 new residents in the country.
More coming in.....
I wonder what the costs of a hotel/motel room will be when they take away options for where people can stay. We use an Airbnb for trips because it is the only places that offer us a kitchen, parking for a boat trailer and truck and enough bedrooms for us. The Airbnb/VRBO is usually 35%-50% cheaper than staying in two room at a hotel, plus having to eat out every day.
Still not sure how it will help the housing issue.
Cheers
SS
B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence regulations
B.C. has passed regulations to restrict short-term rentals to principal residences.
www2.gov.bc.ca
SpringVelocity
Crew Member
Ah yes the dream of owning your own home. Paying mortgages and taxed to death just do have the government tell you what you can do with your property.
This is the bc hotel association lobby nothing more. It's about money and who controls it.
QUOTE:
"Jarrett said the hotel industry has long wanted a level playing field for hotels and short-term rentals, arguing that those who engage in the so-called sharing economy as a business venture should be considered businesses."
www.timescolonist.com
Here is another article on it.
This is the bc hotel association lobby nothing more. It's about money and who controls it.
QUOTE:
"Jarrett said the hotel industry has long wanted a level playing field for hotels and short-term rentals, arguing that those who engage in the so-called sharing economy as a business venture should be considered businesses."
B.C. short-term rental restrictions ‘gold standard’: hoteliers
Observers say new rules will support investment in new hotels
www.timescolonist.com
Here is another article on it.
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kaelc
Crew Member
Agreed, a tourism industry champion I know has beating this drum for them despite the additional tourists it brings to town when hotels jack up their rates in the summer and are full!Ah yes the dream of owning your own home. Paying mortgages and taxed to death just do have the government tell you what you can do with your property.
This is the bc hotel association lobby nothing more. It's about money and who controls it.
QUOTE:
"Jarrett said the hotel industry has long wanted a level playing field for hotels and short-term rentals, arguing that those who engage in the so-called sharing economy as a business venture should be considered businesses."
B.C. short-term rental restrictions ‘gold standard’: hoteliers
Observers say new rules will support investment in new hotels
Here is another article on it.
I think we can still do what we want with our own home? It looks like you can have an Airbnb basement suite or laneway house(if your municipality hasn't banned laneway houses from being short term rental like I think Saanich has)?
If we choose to invest in additional condos or houses to rent or airbnb we get royally NDP regulated or put out of business(in this case). Alberta is a way better place to own a rental from my understanding and likely an airbnb? Now NDP wants investors to build rental housing! Sure buddy, I'll buy this round.....sorry been there done that.
sly_karma
Crew Member
Sure, the hotel industry has had an uphill battle against STR, but the unintended consequences of its proliferation go a lot further than that. There are legitimate safety concerns with visitors staying in lodging intended for residential use: exits and fire escapes not marked, no fire alarms, insufficient fire extinguishers or none at all, exits without panic hardware. These rules have been put in place for hotels because of deaths resulting from people sleeping in a place they weren't familiar with. The rules don't apply to normal residences because people know these things about their own home.
The original intent of Air BnB was renting a spare bedroom to visitors, but now we have entire four plexes or large waterfront homes serving as unsupervised hotels. The neighbours sure as hell didn't think they'd bought a home next to a hotel. The new legislation takes us back to the original concept. Not an outright ban, but a self limiting situation where people can still choose to use their basement suite or carriage house for STR if they want. Small tourist communities carry on as is. It's a return to reasonable balance, some people were taking the puss with dozens of units in STR. If you want to run a hotel, buy a hotel.
The original intent of Air BnB was renting a spare bedroom to visitors, but now we have entire four plexes or large waterfront homes serving as unsupervised hotels. The neighbours sure as hell didn't think they'd bought a home next to a hotel. The new legislation takes us back to the original concept. Not an outright ban, but a self limiting situation where people can still choose to use their basement suite or carriage house for STR if they want. Small tourist communities carry on as is. It's a return to reasonable balance, some people were taking the puss with dozens of units in STR. If you want to run a hotel, buy a hotel.
Aquaholic
Crew Member
Small quibble. In a hotel, there is no panic hardware until you are in the hallway at an emergency exit or at the lobby doors. You still leave the actual hotel room via a door and common lock system.
In a laneway or basement suite, once you open the door, you are outside. If these are legal units, they will be built to code and have fire alarms.
Rain City
Crew Member
Agreed, it's just single family code vs. multi-family. It has little to do with the fact that it's a commercial operation.
kaelc
Crew Member
Don't know how Van compares to Toronto but interesting to see some big companies continuing to invest in high density residential
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