Airbnb agrees to help enforce Vancouver’s short-term rental rules

Vancouver has reached an agreement with Airbnb that will see the company help enforce the city’s short-term rental rules on users. Starting this month, new hosts will need to provide Airbnb with a business licence before they can rent out their home using the website. Existing hosts will have to provide one as well, but are being given a grace period of nearly five months, until Aug. 31. Mayor Gregor Robertson said the Airbnb deal is the “first of its kind in Canada,” and will help ensure more of the city’s housing stock goes toward housing people who live here, as opposed to visiting tourists. “(Vancouver’s) new short-term rental regulations strike a fair balance for Vancouver residents who rely on income from short-term rentals to help make ends meet, while also recognizing that our first priority has to be making sure that Vancouverites have a secure and affordable place to call home,” Robertson said in a statement. Officials estimate there are about 6,600 short-term rentals in the city, and that nearly nine-in-10 are listed on Airbnb. The licences cost $49 a year, and will be available starting on April 19. Vancouver will only be giving them to people who want to rent out their primary residence. As part of the city’s agreement with Airbnb, the website has promised to hand over a list of all Vancouver licences and associated addresses every quarter, which officials will use to find illegal operators. People caught breaking the rules will be subject to a fine of $1,000 per day. New and existing Airbnb hosts will be required to grant permissions for the information-sharing. Airbnb is proud to have partnered with the City of Vancouver on this landmark agreement,” said Alex Dagg, public policy director for Airbnb. “This new system will make home sharing easier for Vancouverites and give the City the tools it needs to enforce their regulations.”