The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) is seeking a review of the province’s recently passed ban on short-term rentals, stating they have created disruptions in the local business and tourism sectors.
The British Columbia government enacted a widespread ban on short-term rentals on May 1, with the goal of returning the properties back to the long-term rental market. However, BCREA said the ban has created more problems than solutions, with specific impacts on the following:
- medical employees transferred to remote areas;
- those receiving multi-week medical care as well as caregivers in urban areas;
- film sector workers in town for weeks at a time;
- those attending or employed by short-term but large events for which hotel space is inadequate (such as a Taylor Swift concert or the FIFA World Cup 2026); and
- those needing short-term housing due to delays in being able to take occupancy of homes or apartments.
The real estate group has proposed several exemptions from the ban, including in high-tourism areas and with the groups listed above.
“While housing affordability is extremely important, there are additional considerations in communities across BC that have been paved over with the implementation of this policy,” said Trevor Hargreaves, BCREA senior vice president of policy and research. “There are numerous exemptions desperately needed to make this a workable and successful policy moving forward. There is no question that some of these short-term rental units should be functioning as long-term rentals, but there are some legitimate uses for short-term rentals that are no longer permitted under the legislation.”
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