Short Term Rental legislation from the Province welcomed by Mayor Pond

Lieutenant-Governor Janet Austin speaking to Premier David Eby
and Housing Minister Ravi Khalon on Thursday in the Legislature
(Screenshot From BC Leg video)

The new Short Term Rental Legislation gained Royal Assent on 'Thursday, the final step towards implementation of the new regulations that are designed to free up rental spaces in communities that have low vacancy rates and are facing challenges in providing for affordable housing.

The legislation moved forward following a week of debate, which saw the BC United Opposition attempt to seek amendments to Bill C-35, a question that did not gain much traction by the time Thursday arrived.

Some Background to the new legislation can be reviewed from our notes of earlier this month.

At Monday night's Council Session, Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond provided some additional notes for residents of the North Coast related to the Short Term Rental Legislation that has now been put in place by the BC NDP government.

The mayor making note of a province led conference call that he participated on as part of the explanation for municipalities towards the new legislation.

"I sat in on a call where the new Short Term Legislation was explained, it may have small bylaw adjustments that come to make sure that we're in alignment with that. 

But by and large it's just a piece of provincial legislation that aims to enforce and helps us to enforce the bylaws that we have in place.

And the General crux of it is, if you're a community that's experiencing tight vacancy, then these controls will come into place and these controls will say you may only do short term rentals in your own principle residence, or in a suite that is part of that principle residence.

And then attached to that there's all kinds of reporting and everybody operating a short term rental must have a business license in the municipality that they're doing business 

Any form of advertising that unit must have the business licence number on that advertising; so whether you're going through Air BnB or any one of the many sites, or just doing it on Kajiji, that must be there.

It will lead eventually to a provincial registry, where all of those agencies must then report to the province, you know who's doing what within what community and that information will be shared with the municipality so that they can then enforce that bylaw.

Again, this is all aimed at communities that are experiencing tight vacancies right. 

If vacancies loosen up then the community is no longer under that specific legislation.

And there are heavy fines 3,000 dollars a day per violation, so substantial.

Turning to the current housing situation in the city, the Mayor then observed of the impact on Prince Rupert of the new legislation

Given that housing is a major issue and the constraint on housing is a major issue in our community it's something certainly that I welcome.

I think it's the right balance, my own personal view.

I think that you know one of the things that young families might need when they're buying their first home is the ability to do short term rentals in a suite, or that sort of thing and so it accommodates that.

If you're going away for particular point in the year, you can do a short term rental in your own personal residence right.

But the ability for people to acquire multiple properties and basically run ghost hotels at the expense of local residents is going to. be restricted."

Mr. Pond's STL tutorial starts at the 49 minute, thirty second mark of the city's video of the Monday session

More notes on the Monday Council Session can be reviewed from our archive page here.

Themes on Housing in the region can be explored here.