Colwood residents using services such as Airbnb and Vrbo to offer their homes as short-term rentals may soon have to apply for a business license.
In an attempt to regulate the vacation rentals industry, the city has directed staff to prepare a draft amendment to an existing bylaw, which will require operators of short-term rentals to obtain a valid business license.
Once the bylaw is in place, the city would have the power to ask platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to remove listings that do not have a valid business license.
The move follows in the footsteps of other Greater Victoria municipalities, such as the City of Victoria and District of Metchosin, who require a business license for short-term rentals. The Town of Sidney will also be making the change in 2025.
In addition, Colwood councillors have asked staff to draft guidance for how business license applicants will have to demonstrate there is adequate parking for people renting their property.
“As far as the tourism side of things, our most desirable areas also tend to be the pointy parts because they have views, and they have really bad parking,” said Coun. Cynthia Day, who pushed for the city to consider the impact short-term rentals can have on parking.
“It's the Vrbo rentals that are the problem,” said Colwood Mayor, Doug Kobayashi. “In some key spots people are complaining there's cars all over the place. It’s more than just one person I've heard it from now. It is an issue in our community.”
The new bylaw will help the city enforce provincial rules introduced in May restricting short-term rentals to principal residences, plus one additional unit on the same property.
The principal residence requirement applies across B.C. in municipalities with a population of 10,000 and over and smaller neighbouring communities, including Colwood, Langford and View Royal.
It is hoped the legislation will help turn more short-term rental units into long-term homes for the community.
According to information shared at a council meeting on Monday (Sept. 9), on Aug. 26, there were approximately 168 active short-term rental listings being advertised online in Colwood. Of these these listings, 87 per cent were entire homes and 13 per cent were private rooms.
“The number of [Colwood] listings on Airbnb and Vrbo has increased by four per cent over the last three years,” said Grace Decker, auxiliary worker at the City of Colwood.