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Canada · British Columbia

Short-term rental rules in Vancouver

Last updated Jun 25, 2026 Verified Jun 25, 2026

Legal regime

Dual-layer framework: (1) BC Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (STRAA, SBC 2023) restricts STR to the host's principal residence — effective May 1, 2024 in communities of 10,000+ including Vancouver — and mandates provincial registration since May 1, 2025; hosts may also rent one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same principal-residence property. (2) City of Vancouver business license required by municipal bylaw; license number must be displayed on all listings. No maximum nights per year at the provincial level.

Key parameters

License required
Yes
Max nights/year
No cap specified

License process

Two-layer licensing required. (1) BC Provincial Registration (mandatory since May 1, 2025): apply via BC Registries host portal at host.shorttermrental.registry.gov.bc.ca. Annual fee: CAD $101.50 where host lives (principal residence or rooms within it); CAD $451.50 for secondary suite, accessory dwelling unit, or secondary property. Required documents: BC government photo ID plus two proof-of-principal-residence documents (e.g., property tax notice, ICBC insurance, land title certificate, home insurance summary). Renewal window opens 40 days before expiry; fee is non-refundable if application denied. (2) City of Vancouver Business License: obtain from vancouver.ca before listing; specific municipal fee amount could not be confirmed from city servers during this verification (HTTP 403 anti-bot).

Applicable taxes

  • BC Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on accommodation

    Rate: 8% · Basis: % of all guest-paid accommodation fees (including cleaning fees, booking fees, resort fees, pet fees, extra linen, credit card fees)

  • Vancouver Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT)

    Rate: 3% · Basis: % of accommodation cost; applies to all taxable accommodation in the City of Vancouver

  • Vancouver Major Events MRDT

    Rate: 2.5% · Basis: % of accommodation cost; in effect February 1, 2023 – January 31, 2030 (Designated Major Event Accommodation Area Tax Regulation)

  • Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST)

    Rate: 5% · Basis: % applied on accommodation cost plus PST, MRDT, and Major Events MRDT amounts combined (GST is assessed on the grossed-up amount because combined provincial taxes in Vancouver exceed 12%, per BC PST Notice 2023-001)

Recent changes

  • 2023-02-01

    Vancouver Major Events MRDT (2.5%) came into effect as an additional accommodation tax applicable through January 31, 2030 under the Designated Major Event Accommodation Area Tax Regulation.

    Source ↗

  • 2024-05-01

    BC STRAA principal residence requirement came into force: STR hosts in communities of 10,000+ (including Vancouver) may only rent their principal residence or one secondary suite/ADU on the same property. Whole-home STR of non-principal-residence properties became non-compliant.

    Source ↗

  • 2025-05-01

    Mandatory BC provincial STR registration took effect for all hosts and platforms. Hosts must complete registration via the BC Registries host portal before listing (CAD $101.50/year for principal residence; CAD $451.50/year for secondary units). Registration number must be displayed on all listings and renews annually.

    Source ↗

Official sources