Victoria City Council voted 4-1 in favour of the short-term rental bylaw last night.
The new bylaw will allow residents to rent out rooms in their principal occupation, but no more than two rooms per house. These changes will affect residents who’s houses are classified as “Schedule D”. To check zoning of properties, go to VicMap.
Councillor Ben Isitt voted in favour of the change, wanting the city to catch up with other North American cities in regulating these units.
“I think the main question for council tonight is whether the City of Victoria will catch up with jurisdictions across North America and the world by introducing sensible regulations to address the potential negative impact of short-term rentals on local communities,” Isitt said. “Or whether the city will continue to keep its collective head in the sand and allow a regulatory vacuum to persist for an indefinite period of time.”
Each rental unit will need to clearly display their business license in the ad where it is being rented, and penalties for failing to follow the rules of short-term rental range from $100 to $10,000.
The changes will be introduced starting in April.