Short-term Rental Review

Consultation for short-term rentals in Sechelt has concluded. For all details on how to obtain a business licence etc, please visit sechelt.ca/short-term-rental/ .

February 14, 2023

Type 3 Operators: Did you operate prior to October 2022?

At their meeting on February 1, 2023, Council opted to offer Type 3 operators with the option to skip applying for a Temporary Use Permit if they can prove that their short-term rental business was lawfully operating prior to the adoption of the District's amended zoning bylaw in October, 2022.

To be clear, a business licence is still required for all short-term rentals, whether hosted or un-hosted, and whether or not the business was operating before the recent zoning and business bylaw amendments.

Type 3 operators can avoid applying for a Temporary Use Permit and move directly to applying for a business licence if they can prove they operated lawfully before October 2022.

If a Type 3 rental operated lawfully prior to October 2022, the operator must prove so. Review the letter sent to Type 3 operators including a list of criteria to submit. Read the letter here.

Here are the addresses of current Type 3 applicants: Type 3 STR properties map

Supporting Document: February 1, 2023 Council Agenda (pages 15-18)

Thank you to all who have registered their property and applied for a short-term rental licence! Compliance is always our aim and we thank you for helping us. If you haven't applied for your Type 1 or Type 2 business licence, please do so.

Apply Now

Fees, short-term rental types and information can be found on our main website here.

View the Operator's Guide.

December, 2022 update

At the December 7, 2022 Regular Council Meeting, Council passed the motion to proceed with applications for 2023. They also decided that a maximum of 15 Type 3 STRs would be approved.

New regulations are in place for operating short-term rentals (STRs) in the District of Sechelt. There will be a transition period in place for operators to submit their applications and obtain permits. All short-term rentals (STRs) must be licensed.

Note: 

Types 1 & 2 STRs can apply at any time throughout the year.

Type 3 STRs must apply by January 10, 2023.

Apply Now

Fees, short-term rental types and information can be found on our main website here.

At the September 21st Regular Council Meeting, Council passed all STR recommendations and the Operator's Guide.

View the Operator's Guide.

What We Heard

Throughout February and March, 2022, the District reached out to the community to hear their thoughts and perspectives about short-term rentals. Responses included:

• 4 - public workshops with a total of 146 attendees
• 857 survey responses
• Emails and letters to Council
• Engagement on this page!

Quick recap

1. Residents agree with the order of Council's guiding priorities
2. Support for STRs with an owner/operator on site
3. Support for STRs that fall into two different categories (suites and accessories), as long as owner/operator is on site.
4. Lack of support for STRs in the commercial category (secondary homes) without a full time owner/operator on site.

A full recap and data analysis can be found in the What We Heard Report.

Missed the What We Heard virtual meeting? Watch it here.

April, 2022 update

Following April's Committee of the Whole meeting (watch here), staff received direction to implement the following measures into the guidelines:

• Move the "Suites" and "Accessories" categories into a "Primary" classification (where the resident lives on-site), and "Commercial" into a "Secondary" classification (where there is not an owner living on-site).
• Limit of 15 Commercial/Secondary short-term rentals in the District of Sechelt.
• Annual business licence fees as follows:
  • Suite/room in your home - $500
  • Self-contained suite on property - $900
  • Commercial - $3000
• Commercial/secondary residences must be issued a Temporary Use Permit prior to being issued a business licence.

Committee of the Whole Meeting - watch it again.

Review the consultant's revised report here.

What is a short-term rental? 

We define it as "the rental of a dwelling unit on a daily, weekly or other short-term basis for less than four consecutive weeks." The rental could be a room in someone's home, a cottage or secondary suite on someone's principal property, or an entire house and property. These places are rented for a short period of time, usually by visitors or tourists and often booked through online platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.

Guiding Priorities

In December 2021, District of Sechelt Council provided guiding priorities that would be used in determining regulations. Below are the priorities in order of importance:

1. Encouraging neighbourhood fit
2. Protection of long-term rental supply
3. Promoting business and regulatory equity
4. Supporting the tourism industry
5. Enable supplemental income

Important Information

• Backgrounder - Complete information on what was taken into consideration, stats and more.
• Regulation Details - Dive into the details of the proposed regulations.
• Frequently Asked Questions - Chances are, we've answered your question here.
• Current STR Bylaws and Licences in the District of Sechelt.

Stay Involved

• Sign up in Who's Listening to receive notifications about this project.