B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms

Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.

Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.

Investigations into non-compliant companies and individual hosts will be conducted by a provincial enforcement unit, which will launch once the new rules take effect on May 1.

The Ministry of Housing said daily penalties will range from $500 to $5,000 for hosts, depending on the infraction, and reach as high as $10,000 for corporations.

Speaking at a news conference in Langley, Premier David Eby reiterated that the purpose of the province's regulations is to open up thousands of potential long-term housing units that are currently being offered year-round on apps such as Airbnb and VRBO.

"The commitment that we have as government is to ensure that the housing stock that we have – the homes that are actually built – are available for people who are looking for a place to live," Eby said.

The premier acknowledged his family, like many others in the province, has benefited from the availability of short-term rentals, and stressed that those types of accommodations will not be banned outright next month.

But the government previously calculated there were 19,000 whole homes being used exclusively as short-term rentals last year.