Vancouver hiking short-term rental license fees by 800%

Citing concerns about the impact of short-term home rentals on Vancouver’s housing market, city council has ratcheted up the business licence fee for operators by more than nine times the current rate.

Zhou proposed a $1,000 annual fee, up from the current $109, which he estimated could generate an additional $2.6 million in revenue for the city every year, which could go toward increased enforcement, auditing and education.

“We have to be bold. We are in a housing crisis,” Zhou said.

At the meeting Wednesday, city council was considering increases to several kinds of licence fees, including businesses, animals and vehicles-for-hire. While city staff had recommended six per cent increases for most kinds of licences, in order to reflect increased city costs, they proposed significantly larger increases for certain types, including a 100 per cent increase for general contractors (from $171 to $340 per year) and trade contractors (from $207 to $340).