The Village of Pemberton is among the 17 municipalities that have decided to participate in the new provincial short-term rental rules program.
Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people, regional districts, and resort municipalities are exempt from the principal residence requirement, though they can opt-in. As many as 17 communities have decided to opt into the Principal Residence Requirement starting Nov. 1, 2024, to preserve long-term rental options for people living and working in their communities.
Pemberton, Tofino, Gabriola Island, and Osoyoos are among the local governments that have opted to participate in the rental program.
New short-term rental rules will take effect on May 1, 2024, and are aimed at reining in the growing short-term rental market that is taking homes off the market. For communities that opted in, like Pemberton, however, the new rules will take effect in November.
New rules that will take effect May 1
The Principal Residence Requirement, meaning short-term rentals can only be offered in the principal residence of a host, plus one additional unit, secondary suite or laneway home/garden suite on the property in communities with populations greater than 10,000 people.
The Principal Residence Requirement will function as a province-wide floor for communities with populations of more than 10,000 people. However, local governments will still be able to use existing bylaws and introduce more restrictive bylaws.
The Principal Residence Requirement will become effective in more than 60 communities throughout B.C.
Strata hotels and motels that operated similarly to a hotel or motel before Dec. 8, 2023, and that meet select criteria moving forward will be exempt from the Principal Residence Requirement.
Non-conforming use of property will no longer apply to short-term rentals. Under previous legal non-conforming use protections, if an existing use of land or a building did not conform to the new bylaw, it would have generally continued with legal non-conforming use.
Short-term rental hosts will be required to display a valid business licence number on their listing, where a business licence is required by a local government.
Short-term rental platforms will be required to share data with the Province.
Local governments can request that a platform remove listings that do not display a valid business licence.
The Provincial Short-Term Rental Compliance Enforcement Unit, which begins on May 1, will also be able to conduct investigations into alleged non-compliance, which may result in administrative monetary penalties and compliance orders. Administrative penalties for hosts breaking the rules can range from $500 to $5,000 a day per infraction and up to $10,000 per day for corporations, depending on the infraction. Visitors and guests will not face any fines. The unit will also facilitate data sharing and requests to remove listings from platforms.