British Columbia Short-Term Rental Laws & Hotel Tax (2026)

State licence required

Yes

Next rule change

Jun 1, 2027

The laws in brief

Who needs it

Every host or property manager who rents out a unit for stays of fewer than 90 consecutive days, in each unit separately. Hotels, motels, hostels, reserve land, time shares, student housing and seasonal accommodation not suitable for year-round living are exempt.^4,5,6

Issued by

Province of British Columbia, Short-Term Rental Branch (Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs)

Valid for

One year. Registrations must be renewed annually, and the renewal window opens 40 days before expiry.

Processing

The province publishes no fixed decision time. Hosts without Canadian identification need about 8 to 10 days to set up a BC Registries account first.

On listings

The number must appear on every listing

Platform checks

Platforms must check the registration number against the provincial registry, so the listing address must match the registered address exactly. Listings without a valid number are removed and future bookings cancelled.

Fees

Who qualifies

• Follow the provincial principal residence requirement where it applies: your usual home plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property.
• Follow local government bylaws, including holding a valid business licence where the municipality requires one.
• Provide proof of principal residence: one piece of BC photo identification and at least two supporting documents, such as a land title certificate, property tax notice or insurance document in the host's name at the rental address.
• A tenant must also supply a tenancy agreement or a rent increase notice from the landlord, and may need the owner's and the strata's permission.
• Register each unit separately; a unit with several listings or separate bedrooms needs only one registration.

How to apply

1. 1 Gather your property identifier (PID), bedroom count, social insurance number, proof of principal residence and any local business licence.
2. 2 Sign in to a BC Registries account, created with a BC Services Card or, without Canadian identification, a BCeID with two-factor authentication.
3. 3 Enter the rental address, upload the supporting documents and pay the fee by credit card.
4. 4 Receive an email when the application is approved or denied, and find the registration number on your registry dashboard.
5. 5 Add the registration number, the local business licence number (if required) and the registered address to every listing.

Permit rules

Every host must register with the province

Short-term rental hosts must register each unit with the provincial registry before operating. Hosts had to be registered by 1 May 2025.^4,5 In force since May 1, 2025

Registration costs $100 or $450 a year

The annual fee is $100 for the home where the host lives and $450 for a secondary suite, accessory dwelling unit or second property, plus a $1.50 service fee. Fees are not refunded if an application is denied.^5,6

One registration for each unit

A unit needs one registration even if it has several listings or separate bedrooms. A secondary suite or laneway home on the same property needs its own.⁵

Registration is renewed every year

Registrations expire after one year. Hosts are emailed 40 days, 14 days and 1 day before expiry, and a renewal can be refused if a compliance order or penalty is unpaid.⁵

Proof of principal residence must match the rental address

Where the residence rule applies, the host must upload current documents whose name and address match the host and the rental address.⁵

Stays over 90 days and some accommodation are exempt from registration

Hosts do not have to register accommodation of more than 90 days per booking, reserve land, hotels and motels, time shares, home exchanges, student or employee housing, strata guest suites, or seasonal accommodation not suited to year-round living.⁵

Show the provincial registration number on every listing

Hosts must display the provincial registration number on their online listings. Airbnb has a dedicated field for it.^5,27 In force since May 1, 2025

The listing address must match the registration

The address on the listing must match the registered address exactly so that platforms can validate the number.^5,27

Show the local business licence number where one is required

In municipalities that require a business licence, the licence number must also appear on the listing, and a copy is uploaded with the provincial application.⁵

Unregistered listings are removed and bookings cancelled

Platforms must stop advertising listings without a valid registration number from 2 June 2025 and cancel their future bookings from 23 June 2025.^4,12 In force since June 2, 2025

Platforms report listings to the province every month

Short-term rental platforms must share listing information with the province each month. The data helps local governments enforce their own bylaws and is not made public.⁷

Cities can have a listing taken down

If a listing breaks a local business licence requirement, the platform must remove it when the local government asks.⁷

Principal residence only in communities of 10,000 or more

In municipalities of 10,000 people or more and smaller neighbouring communities, short-term rentals are limited to the host's principal residence. The rule took effect on 1 May 2024.^6,11 In force since May 1, 2024

One extra suite or laneway home is allowed

Where the residence rule applies, a host may also rent one secondary suite, laneway home or garden suite on the same property, but not several.^5,11 In force since May 1, 2024

Bed and breakfasts can keep operating if the owner lives there

The residence rule applies to bed and breakfasts, which can continue when the owner lives on the property. A room without its own cooking facilities counts as a bed and breakfast.⁶

Tenants can host their own home, subject to the lease

A tenant can register the unit they live in as a principal residence, but the tenancy agreement and local bylaws may still forbid it. Burnaby and Surrey do not license tenants.^5,20,23

Resorts, small towns and rural areas are exempt from the residence rule

Mountain resorts, ski resort areas, municipalities under 10,000 people not near a larger one, most regional district electoral areas and farm land are exempt. Whistler, Tofino, Big White and Sun Peaks are on the exempt lists; local zoning and bylaws still apply.⁶

Kelowna opted out of the provincial residence rule on 1 June 2026

Kelowna hosts no longer need to follow the provincial principal residence requirement when registering, subject to local restrictions. The city limits primary-use rentals to tourism-zoned buildings and requires a business licence.^13,19 Applies to: Kelowna · In force since June 1, 2026

No grandfathering for rentals that break zoning

Legal non-conforming use protection no longer applies to short-term rentals, so a rental that does not fit the current bylaw cannot continue because it operated before.^7,11

A strata can ban short-term rentals by bylaw

Strata corporations can limit or ban short-term rentals and fine owners up to $1,000 a day, regardless of provincial or city rules.¹⁴

1. 1. Vancouver

   Metro Vancouver Regional District

   Vancouver licenses short-term rentals of under 90 consecutive days only in the host's principal residence, one licence per person, with strata or landlord approval. The licence costs $1,108 a year plus a $77 application fee, and the provincial registration is separate.¹⁵

   • Principal residence only; one licence per person; secondary suites only if you live in that unit.
   • Licence $1,108 a year plus a $77 application fee (prorated in the first year); renew by 31 December.
   • Written strata or landlord approval required before applying.
   • Licence number on every listing; only one booking at a time.

2. 2. Whistler Resort Municipality

   Squamish-Lillooet Regional District

   Whistler is exempt from the provincial residence rule but allows nightly rental only in properties zoned for tourist accommodation, with a municipal business licence and the provincial registration. Rentals in residential-zoned homes are illegal for any length of stay.^3,16

   • Zoning must list tourist accommodation or temporary accommodation as a permitted use.
   • Business licence $250 per guest unit per year plus a $25 application fee.
   • Provincial registration number needed to validate platform listings.
   • Fines up to $3,000 per day for renting without a licence.

3. 3. Richmond

   Metro Vancouver Regional District

   Richmond allows short-term rentals only through a bed and breakfast or a boarding and lodging business licence, and both require the owner to live in the home. Renting an entire home for under 90 days is not allowed under any circumstance.^3,17,18

   • Bed and breakfast licence: single detached house, owner-run principal residence, at most three rooms and six guests.
   • New bed and breakfasts must be at least 500 metres from existing ones.
   • Boarding and lodging licence: any dwelling type, at most two guests, not in a secondary suite or coach house.
   • Whole-home rentals of under 90 days are not allowed; fines can reach $50,000 depending on the bylaw.

4. 4. Kelowna

   Regional District of Central Okanagan

   Kelowna opted out of the provincial residence rule on 1 June 2026 but requires a city business licence for every short-term rental. The city keeps its own principal residence requirement in all zones except buildings approved for a short-term rental subzone.^3,13,19

   • Business licence $345 a year plus a $50 application fee; applications take two to four weeks.
   • Principal residence requirement stays for all zones except buildings with a 2026 short-term rental subzone.
   • A short-term rental is any rental of under 90 consecutive days; provincial registration also required.
   • Municipal fines of up to $500 per day, per offence.

5. 5. Surrey

   Metro Vancouver Regional District

   Surrey allows only the property owner to host, in their primary residence, for under 90 consecutive days, with a business licence of $358 a year. Tenants cannot operate short-term rentals.^3,20

   • Only the owner may host, and must live in the home or another unit on the same lot.
   • Permitted in a single-family dwelling with one secondary suite, coach house or garden suite, a townhouse, or an apartment with a lock-off suite.
   • Business licence $358 a year plus any application fees.
   • Tenants cannot operate short-term rentals.

6. 6. Victoria

   Capital Regional District

   Victoria allows short-term rentals of under 30 nights only in the host's principal dwelling unit and requires a licence of $150 that expires each 15 January. A whole unit can be rented for at most 160 nights a year while the host is away.^3,21

   • Principal dwelling unit only; a short-term rental cannot occupy a whole self-contained unit such as a suite.
   • Entire unit for no more than 160 nights in a calendar year while you are away.
   • At most two bedrooms while you are home.
   • Licence $150, applied for each year and expiring 15 January; owner and strata consent required.

7. 7. Burnaby

   Metro Vancouver Regional District

   Burnaby licenses only homeowners renting their principal residence, capped at 90 nights a year for part of the home, of which 28 nights may be the entire home. Tenants, secondary suites and accessory buildings are excluded.^22,23

   • Homeowners only; no short-term rentals in rental units, secondary suites or accessory buildings.
   • Maximum 90 nights a year renting part of the principal residence, 28 of which can be the entire home.
   • Up to four unrelated guests or six family members at a time.
   • Written strata council permission required in strata units.

8. 8. Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake)

   Columbia Shuswap Regional District

   Electoral Area A, around Golden and Field, is a rural area outside the provincial residence rule, and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District has no business licence for its electoral areas. Zoning decides whether a rental is allowed, and the province can deny or cancel a registration for a rental the zoning does not permit.^6,24

   • Provincial registration required; no regional district business licence.
   • Check the zoning bylaw with planning staff before applying to register.
   • Registration may be denied or cancelled if the rental is not permitted by local government.
   • A temporary use permit or rezoning is the route for a rental the zoning does not allow; a first permit is generally valid for up to three years.

What the host still handles

• Provincial short-term rental registration for every unit, and a local business licence where the municipality requires one.
• A BC PST account (which also covers MRDT) if you also take bookings outside a platform that collects the tax, such as through your own website; the platform collects it on bookings made through it.
• A GST/HST account once taxable sales pass the $30,000 small supplier threshold; Airbnb collects GST on behalf of hosts who are not registered.^3,9,25,26

Cities and regional districts can be stricter

The provincial residence rule is a minimum. Some municipalities and regional districts have their own, stricter principal residence rules, and hosts must follow all local bylaws.⁶

A short-term rental is a stay of under 90 consecutive days

The provincial Act defines a short-term rental as accommodation for fewer than 90 consecutive days. Bookings of 90 days or more fall outside the registry, though local thresholds can be shorter (Victoria uses 30 nights).^14,21

Report changes to the registry within 14 days

A registered host must tell the registrar of any change to the registration information within 14 days. A new registration is needed if the host's legal name or the rental address changes.⁵

The province and the city enforce separate rules

The provincial Compliance and Enforcement Unit enforces registration and the residence rule. Local governments enforce their own licences, zoning and nightly caps.¹⁰

• Hosts who break the registration or principal residence rules face provincial administrative penalties of up to $5,000 for a first contravention, $7,500 for a second and $10,000 for a third or later, and a separate penalty can be imposed for each day the contravention continues.^1,2,11
• Smaller infractions, such as not showing a valid registration number or business licence number on a listing, carry lower provincial penalties of up to $500 for a first contravention, $750 for a second and $1,000 for a third or later.^2,11
• Platforms face administrative monetary penalties that can start at up to $10,000 per day for not meeting provincial requirements, and the regulation sets maximums of $5,000 to $20,000 a contravention.^2,8
• A host who does not register has the listing removed, existing bookings cancelled and new bookings blocked.⁴
• Local governments can seek fines of up to $50,000 when a bylaw offence is prosecuted, and municipal bylaw tickets can reach $3,000 per infraction, per day.⁷
• A strata corporation can fine an owner or resident up to $1,000 a day for breaking its short-term rental bylaw.¹⁴

1. January 31, 2030 Upcoming
   Vancouver's extra 2.5% Major Events tax ends

   The additional Major Events MRDT applies to accommodation in the City of Vancouver from 1 February 2023 until 31 January 2030.⁹

2. June 1, 2027 Upcoming
   Earlier opt-out date for communities with healthy vacancy rates

   From 2027, municipalities with a rental vacancy rate of 3% or more for two years can ask by 28 February to opt out of the provincial residence rule, effective 1 June instead of 1 November. Opt-in requests also move from 31 March to 28 February, with a 1 November start.¹³

3. June 1, 2026
   Kelowna opts out of the provincial principal residence requirement

   A one-time regulation brought Kelowna's opt-out into effect on 1 June 2026. Kelowna limits primary-use rentals to tourism-zoned buildings and requires a business licence.^13,19

4. April 17, 2026
   Province accelerates the opt-out process

   The province announced earlier opt-out dates, citing provincewide vacancy rates that rose from 1.2% in 2023 to 3.5% in 2025 in communities of 10,000 people or more.¹³

5. November 1, 2025
   Opt-ins and opt-outs take effect

   Creston, Salt Spring Island and Columbia Shuswap Electoral Area B joined the principal residence requirement, and Tofino and two Cowichan Valley electoral areas left it.¹²

6. June 2, 2025
   Platforms must remove listings without a valid registration number

   Platforms must stop advertising unregistered listings and block new bookings from 2 June 2025, and cancel future bookings from 23 June 2025. Hosts had to register by 1 May 2025.¹²

7. November 1, 2024
   Seventeen smaller communities opt in to the residence rule

   Seventeen communities initially exempt from the legislation asked to apply the principal residence requirement from 1 November 2024.¹¹

8. May 1, 2024
   Principal residence requirement takes effect

   Short-term rentals became limited to the host's principal residence plus one suite in more than 60 communities with populations over 10,000, and non-conforming use protection ended for short-term rentals.¹¹

Estimate what a home could earn

1. 1. Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act · BC Laws, King's Printer
2. 2. Short-Term Rental Accommodations Regulation (B.C. Reg. 268/2023), Schedule 4 · BC Laws, King's Printer
3. 3. Designated Accommodation Area Tax Regulation (B.C. Reg. 93/2013) · BC Laws, King's Printer
4. 4. Short-term rental registration · Province of British Columbia
5. 5. Register as a host · Province of British Columbia
6. 6. B.C.'s short-term rental principal residence requirement · Province of British Columbia
7. 7. B.C.'s short-term rental legislation · Province of British Columbia
8. 8. Platform registration · Province of British Columbia
9. 9. PST and MRDT on accommodation · Province of British Columbia
10. 10. Short-term rental compliance and enforcement · Province of British Columbia
11. 11. New rules take effect to rein in short-term rentals, deliver more homes · BC Gov News
12. 12. Province moving forward on short-term rental rules · BC Gov News
13. 13. Accelerating short-term rental opt-out process · BC Gov News
14. 14. Strata short-term rental bylaws · Province of British Columbia
15. 15. Short-term rental business licence · City of Vancouver
16. 16. Tourist Accommodation Requirements · Resort Municipality of Whistler
17. 17. Short Term Residential Rentals · City of Richmond
18. 18. Short-term Residential Rentals Guide · City of Richmond
19. 19. Kelowna's short-term rental regulations · City of Kelowna
20. 20. Short-Term Rentals · City of Surrey
21. 21. Short-Term Rentals · City of Victoria
22. 22. Business Licences · City of Burnaby
23. 23. Short-Term Rentals · City of Burnaby
24. 24. Short-Term Rentals · Columbia Shuswap Regional District
25. 25. When to register for and start charging the GST/HST · Canada Revenue Agency
26. 26. Tax collection and remittance by Airbnb in Canada · Airbnb Help Centre
27. 27. British Columbia · Airbnb Help Centre