Amid a housing crisis, the city of Victoria says it is investigating hundreds of Airbnb locations that may not be complying with city rules.
Currently, there are 546 licensed short-term rentals in Victoria, with a further 23 on hold.
According to the city, hundreds more could operate without a short-term rental license.
“We have 410 active investigations into properties that we believe are not in compliance with municipal bylaws,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said.
Last year, the city was awarded $20,000 in four unlicensed short-term rental cases that went to court.
Five people received court orders barring them from operating short-term rentals as a result of the rulings.
Additional fines of $6,250 were also issued to other owners.
“We’ve proven in court that our rules will be followed, so that’s the biggest threat,” Helps said.
“Do you want to spend your time in court fighting the city when you know you’re going to lose or do you just want to come into compliance?” she said.
Downtown Victoria is pictured. (CTV News)
CITY BYLAWS
About five years ago, the city implemented restrictions on short-term rentals in an effort to combat the housing crisis.
Homeowners are eligible for a short-term rental license on their primary residence if they rent out the entire property, on occasion – or up to two bedrooms in a unit with a shared kitchen while they are away. the House.
Short-term rentals are permitted on secondary residences for periods of less than 30 days.
“We used the full extent of our authority,” Helps said. “We know we are in crisis. We suppressed this five years ago before there was a crisis, and we are using all of our tools in our toolbox.”
“We need three things,” she added. “The first is for the other municipalities in the region to also create regulations so that we can all speak with one voice. Second, for Airbnb not to grant access to their platform unless someone one can’t show a business license from the city of Victoria – and three, for Airbnb to give our statutes office a list of all the addresses so we can go and check, do you have a license or not?”
While the city does not have the power to enforce short-term rental site compliance, the mayor of Victoria says the BC government does.
“The province has that power and could pass laws, and I know that’s something the Union of British Columbia Municipalities is working on,” Helps said.
“The province is actively working on the housing crisis. Could this be one more tool in its toolbox…could the province put some of these Airbnbs back in the BC housing markets?” Help says.
The city says its list of investigations is growing as it learns of other potentially non-compliant properties.
The fine for operating a short-term rental without a license in the city of Victoria is $500 per day. The fine for advertising an unlicensed short-term rental is $250 per day. Fines can be retroactive for up to six months.
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