1877 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

AirBnB operators have to do their homework. If you’re a big player, and you’re not aware the municipality you are in doesn’t allow short-term rentals, that’s a problem. Or you take the risk, and accept the outcomes.

[Sparky]

What about the poor smuck that buys a STR when it was ok to rent them out….and then the rules change?

[Mike K.]

In Saanich it was never ok. In Victoria, only select buildings had the ‘zoning,’ so investors were buying them up and exploiting a loophole.

I sympathize with people who got taken for a ride by essentially buying a business they thought would be around forever, but AirBnBs became such a problem in condos where they operated that it was inevitable the industry would eventually go the way of strict regulation or outright banning.

The next big ban will be drones. I’d recommend not investing too much money into those gadgets, if you’re planning to splurge on something.

[aastra]

 

And then they can have a tourism industry crisis to solve next!

 

Don't we have two already? Overtourism and not enough tourism? I don't think I could handle a third crisis in that same sector.

[LJ]

First they repurpose all the affordable hotels into workless shelters then shut down all the affordable STR's and then wonder why tourism dollars are down. 

 

Brilliant.

[Victoria Watcher]

Ya. So ****ing lame.

[Sparky]

^^^^ I already bought a drone.

[Mike K.]

Keep the receipt!

[Victoria Watcher]

[mbjj]

In the 1990s and early 2000s we always stayed in small cottages or apartments when we travelled to the UK and Europe. We've only ever once stayed in an official AirBnB. These types of places have been around in Europe for quite a long time. Much nicer than hotels. We love visiting markets and grocery stores, bakeries, cheese shops etc. and doing our own food. Travelling with a child was easier too. We've had some fabulous places - 500 year old cottages, places with private swimming pools, places overlooking the village church, places with views over the Mediterranean. 

Edited by mbjj, 07 August 2025 - 05:01 PM.

[Matt R.]

No different than AirBnb’s.

[Victoria Watcher]

Salt Spring Island’s request to opt in to short-term rental restrictions has been approved by the province and takes effect this fall.

 

The Salt Spring Island Local Trust Committee (LTC) announced this week that the province approved its request to opt in to the province’s Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (STRAA) principal residence requirement.

 

After the province passed its short-term rental legislation, local governments can apply to opt-in by submitting an annual request.

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...sident-1272148/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 13 August 2025 - 11:54 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

A group of former short-term-rental owners returns to court on Monday to fight provincial rules limiting the rentals that came into effect last year.

 

The group, which has about 300 members from across the province, initially challenged the rules last year, but its petition was dismissed in February of this year by a B.C. Supreme Court judge who called it “premature.”

 

https://www.timescol...-rules-11304073

[LJ]

Phoenix area did a 10-year study on STRs and VRBOs and found that shutting them down did not affect housing availability. A very small percentage of them turned into full-time housing. Most of them stayed vacant, and the owners used them part-time for their own use.

 

Immigration reduction and building more homes were the solutions. Rents have been dropping by 8-10%, and a lot of people are "renters by choice" now rather than purchasers.

[Matt R.]

Kelowna going back to normal it looks like.

“Kelowna opts out of short-term rental limits after vacancy soars to more than 6%”

https://www.cbc.ca/n...imits-9.7168416

[Victoria Watcher]

Kelowna going back to normal it looks like.

“Kelowna opts out of short-term rental limits after vacancy soars to more than 6%”

https://www.cbc.ca/n...imits-9.7168416

 

 

The rules, which the province says are designed to ease housing crunches, restrict short-term property rentals to either principal residences or a secondary suite or structure on a property — preventing people from renting out full homes or apartments that they don't live in full time.

However, exemptions can be granted for any city that manages to show a vacancy rate of three per cent or more for two years in a row based on Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) data.

Recent data shows Kelowna has significantly increased its vacancy rate, from 3.8 per cent in 2024 to 6.4 per cent in 2025, the highest of any metropolitan area in the country.

[lanforod]

Have prices dropped there to reflect that vacancy rate?

[Victoria Watcher]

Rental Trend: One-bedroom rents dropped by nearly 12% year-over-year - Kelowna Daily Courier

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 April 2026 - 08:09 AM.