British Columbia
Short-term abrogation rental level Airbnb says "thousands" of reservations successful British Columbia are astatine hazard of being cancelled owed to the province's crackdown connected the manufacture amid a lodging crisis.
Province says dozens of different short-term rental platforms person managed to registry their hosts
The Canadian Press
· Posted: Jun 14, 2025 1:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago
Short-term abrogation rental level Airbnb said Friday that "thousands" of reservations successful British Columbia are astatine hazard of cancellation, accusing the state of rushing retired regulations arsenic it cracked down connected the industry.
Alex Howell, Airbnb's Canadian argumentation lead, said successful an interrogation with The Canadian Press that the caller rules, which necessitate short-term rental hosts to corroborate their listings are legal, person already led to immoderate bookings being cancelled.
The authorities has said platforms specified arsenic Airbnb can't station B.C. listings without confirming they are registered with the province.
Howell said galore hosts whose properties suffice can't registry owed to glitches and different problems with the caller system.
"Typically, we would person worked with a authorities for six months to bash unrecorded testing, to marque definite that things are moving the mode they should," Howell said.
"And unluckily successful this situation, B.C. truly conscionable rushed into launching the strategy that hadn't been afloat tested, and that's what's brought america to this situation."
The state said Friday that dozens of different short-term rental platforms serving B.C. have managed to enactment their hosts successful registering with the government.
But Howell said that spot owners person reported that typos and formatting errors person prevented them from registering with the province, contempt gathering each the ineligible criteria for hosting short-term rentals.
"The government's short-term rental strategy simply isn't ready," Howell said successful a connection to CBC News. "We warned that rushing this rollout would pb to superior consequences, and present British Columbians are paying the price."
Summer is tourer season
The state had said that short-term rentals are being restricted to main residences, a secondary suite oregon a operation specified arsenic a laneway location connected the property, and the argumentation is meant to unfastened up much units successful B.C.'s rental lodging market.
Howell said the timing of B.C.'s latest rules connected short-term rentals is particularly impactful, conscionable up of the engaged summertime tourer season.
"Thousands of reservations crossed the state are present astatine risk," she said. "These are registered, compliant hosts that are failing validation protocols done nary responsibility of their own.
"And this impacts … thousands of reservations crossed the province, astatine slightest 50 per cent of which are home travellers who are pursuing their ain government's proposal to enactment section and question wrong Canada this year."
Howell said alternatively of waiting until the June 23 deadline — erstwhile bookings connected unregistered B.C. properties would beryllium cancelled — Airbnb is proactively contacting affected hosts and guests to connection penalty-free cancellations.
Airbnb can 'find solutions'
In a statement, B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the state is assured that "Airbnb volition find solutions to their challenges with getting listings verified up of the June 23 deadline."
"We anticipation that Airbnb volition take to enactment their hosts successful verifying their listings, alternatively of cancelling their bookings," Kahlon said. "This is caller crushed for B.C., and we are moving done ServiceBC, our short-term rental branch, and the platforms themselves to assistance hosts comply with the requirements."
The ministry besides noted that determination are 65 short-term rental platforms operating successful B.C., and different platforms person been palmy successful supporting their hosts to get registered.
In a abstracted statement, the Opposition B.C. Conservatives criticized the NDP's short-term rental policies, with Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird saying the regulations run counter to the province's efforts to beforehand section travel.
"How bash you beforehand staycations portion sabotaging the short-term rental marketplace that makes them imaginable successful tiny towns?" Bird said successful the statement. "The Premier [David Eby] says 'travel wrong B.C.', and past his authorities kneecaps our quality to invited those travellers."
With files from CBC News