Airbnb is illegal in Vancouver

Airbnb is illegal in Vancouver

Airbnb is illegal in Vancouver. Anyone who runs an illegal Airbnb hotel is **** contributing to the housing crisis. Please take your unit off Airbnb and offer it as a long term rental to a local family. Thank you.

 

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14 Replies 14
Antonio778
Level 2
Vancouver, Canada

I am done renting to people in Vancouver,  I rather have and I will have my secondary suite empty than to have another tenant. Vancouver is one of the worst places to be a landlord. Home owners are not responsible to create affordable housing for people, the government is. They keep allowing more "density" in a city which was not dedigned for that.  The result lack of housing , then they are responsible for the high price on real estate.  You know why? The more expensive properties are the more they collect in taxes. Every time a property is sold they collect 25% on capital gains from it. Example we bought a townhouse we were renting (until a tenant cost us close to 20K in damages ) for 400k. We sold it 4 years later for 650. The government gets 25% of the difference of purchase and sell price. If our property didn't increase in value they would get nothing.  So do you think they care how expensive properties are? They don't.  And now collecting fees to register AirBnb's?  That's all they care get more money they do not care for tenants or landlords.  We are not parasites, our politicians are.

Retno0
Level 2
Victoria, Canada

Agree,  I fact I after selling my condo in Vancouver, I am and up having debt plus interest with CRA, first time in my life. Because I can not afford to fix the condo then I sell.but end up worse.

 

Government do not help the landlord when the tenant damage or not paying the rent, they never reliaze that we are paying taxes from renting. And pay them to have a job.

 

No rent ,no income, no mortgage to pay then no job.

 

Qe should get credit from helping government 

@Retno0 while all the West Coast cities are competeing to see who can be most ineffective and anti-property owner, Vancouver is special. I love your racist +$15,000 tax on foreign buyers.  Vancouverites are so pleased with themselves by forcing prices lowerk. They think its it's great for everybody. 

Did they ever consider the retiring property owner who wants to downsize? This person has invested, maintained and paid taxes for decades in the hope to use that investment for retirement. However, now that domestic seller will truly pay that foreign tax because he will have to cover that cost in his lower selling price. 

Go figure. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I thought I would update the community on this criticism from Global News October, 2019.

 

"

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit that claimed the province’s foreign buyers tax is unconstitutional and discriminates against Asian immigrants.

In his decision released Friday, Justice Gregory Bowden said the tax — which was introduced by the previous Liberal government — falls under the province’s powers within the constitution to introduce taxes that produce provincial revenue.

The BC Liberals brought in the 15 per cent tax in an effort to cool Metro Vancouver’s housing market, which had become the most expensive in Canada by 2016. In 2018, the current NDP government raised the tax to 20 per cent. The tax is applied to anyone who isn’t a Canadian citizen or permanent resident." 

 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Str0  My friend in Vancouver started str the suite she created in her home because the long term renters (a string of them over the years) trashed her place, refused to pay for the damge they caused and stiffed her on the rent, and then due to landlord tenant laws had huge hassles getting them out. It's not all about greed.

Pete69
Level 10
Los Angeles, CA

So Cananda has lunatic liberals in government too? I LOVED it when Santa Monica banned people from holding out space on AirBnb unless they also lived on the property. More demand for MY Airbnb stay in Pacific Palisades!  I hope Santa Monica will flat out ban ALL Airbnb in their liberal city.

What harm is it if people who live on the property have an Airbnb?

All Canadian political parties are liberal compared to the US. Our most Conservative party would be analogous to the Democrats.

Retno0
Level 2
Victoria, Canada

I love air bnb, they have created alot of job, and add income for senior like me, who not able to work at any company, again even at home still the neigbour jealose of our new business,

 

its strange, when I was strugle to pay mortgage, no one close or ask if we are alright. now that we have guest from air bnb, they come to us and talked to us about their concern, sometime its feel like they want to kill us. then who is created problem ? neigbour or air bnb guest??? i m confiused????

 

I dont have neigbour freind since I move to the house 7 year ago, but now I have enemy since i open for air bnb.

 

 

Catherine232
Level 10
Vancouver, Canada

Um, no. Airbnb is not illegal in Vancouver.

Hello to all! 

I think there are some really interesting points being made here. 

There are a lot of different ends to this and everyone has a unique angle as to how they are personally effected by the housing crisis, rent crisis and vacant home issue in Vancouver.

As an educated Vancouver local I would like to point out there the housing crisis has nothing to do with airbnb listing (even though lots of people have tried to propaganda that up or place blame on airbnb hosts cause some don’t know where to place the blame) and actually has everything to do with fentanyl money laundering though real estate that super rich foreign investors purchase and leave empty because its, well... for the purpose of money laundering. Also these places that are bought and left empty are not affordable homes meant for middle class citizens, they sell for tens of millions (on a 2 bdr 700sq ft condo). In the past year a MASSIVE amount of REAL affordable housing has been completed by the city and in surrounding cities. Housing that requires applications and is offered to people in need, such as homeless in transition (like the new module housing seen at Cambie bridge) as well as middle class families/single parents (like the new ones in Richmond and by Science World).

It makes me so happy to see these changes made and homes be provided to those in need, regardless of the other issues we face ongoing.

I hope that airbnb does not continue to be treated the way it has in this city, because I truly value the travelers who make BC the treasure it is worldwide. The culture that comes from the clashing of both local and tourists year round to this beautiful pacific coast is magnificent. BC should be shared and cherished with lovely warm cozy homes to stay in and explore new corners with friends and family. There sits so many unique properties that are meant to be shared, and should be, and so.. here’s to a prosperous Airbnb future for Vancouver and British Columbia! * Never at the cost of our quality of living. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Venus17  You bring up some good points.

People hosting rooms in their homes, or a granny suite on their properties, or even a cottage they built on their property specifically to Airbnb (or any other listing platform) does not lead to a housing crisis. I started doing STRs in my guest room, because I don't want a long-term roommate and wanted to have it available when friends or family come to visit. So I didn't take anything off the housing market.

But there are lots of people who are just buying up houses for the sole purpose of listing them for short term rentals. This definitely contributes to less housing for those who live and work in an area, and I'm personally very much opposed to this type of "hosting".

Jerry6
Level 2
Vancouver, Canada

“Lots of people who are just buying up houses for the sole purpose for listing them  for short term rentals”

This is one of most uninformed and farthest from the truth statements I’ve read in a long time. Maybe in Sayulita sweetie not in Vancouver. 

Laura2592
Level 10
Frederick, MD

I don't live in Vancouver but I am both a landlord and an Airbnb host in different properties I own.

 

My Airbnb will never be available as a long term rental because its a home we bought to enjoy ourselves as a getaway space and Airbnb helps make it more affordable for us to do just that. Being a landlord (for me) is less enjoyable than being a host. It carries greater legal risk and potential for damage to my property. Though I try to be conscientious and kind, landlords often have tense relationships with tenants when operating costs require the raising of rents or the tenants behave in a way that violates the lease and a landlord must address it. With my Airbnb, guests are generally happy to be in the space and appreciate the effort put into it. They are on vacation and there to enjoy themselves. They see me as an ally instead of some kind of villain from a melodrama coming to collect their last penny for rent. That means a lot to me. Probably more than income.

 

I used to live in San Francisco which also had a housing crisis. I was a renter at the time. I am not without sympathy for how difficult that is. My solution was to move to a market that was more affordable and had more opportunities for me to actually own my own property. San Francisco is not the only city on earth, nor is Vancouver. I understand the appeal of both places-- they are such great spots that everyone and their sister wants to live there or visit. But there is a big world out there and lots of places with opportunity. I admit to having privilege in terms of education, but for many years I struggled working two and three retail jobs, trying to get my career off the ground. I had to relocate more than once, often to very expensive places where housing was difficult to come by. I know how it feels. Its been going on in some cities for decades. 

 

But I am sorry-- I don't agree that property owners should forgo their own financial well being because the housing market is tough. If you own a place, I can't help but feel that you can do what you like with it within the law. If cities regulate against Airbnb so be it. It makes more sense that cities would find a way to tax it, to take advantage of the new income stream to pour into other infrastructure or programs. It seems short sighted to outlaw it when it could be so lucrative for an urban tax base. But if the citizens of a particular burg don't want it you have to respect that. 

 

Personally, I think everyone has a choice. A choice of where they live. A choice of what they do with their own homes. And there has to be a way to strike balance.