Local realtors challenging short-term rental regulations

Jun 3, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The Association of Interior Realtors (AoIR) is pushing back against provincial regulations surrounding short term rentals.

The AoIR undertook a study on the short-term rental policies and the effects they have had on communities across the B.C. interior.

“Since the inception of the new regulations on short-term rentals we’ve been hearing of issues in every corner of our Association,” Kadin Rainville, AoIR President, said.

“In the Okanagan it’s having a serious effect on tourist accommodation. In our more rural communities, it’s reducing temporary workforce housing for communities that rely on transient and locum workers.”

The association’s report, Unlocking Flexibility: Rethinking Short-Term Rental Regulations in British Columbia’s Interior, includes four recommendations for policymakers to consider in order to “unlock more flexibility in the current short-term rental rules.” Those involve:

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Returning zoning autonomy to local governments and allow them to designate tourism zones that are exempt from the province’s principal residence requirement
Enable flexibility near essential worksites and healthcare centres by creating exemption zones around these sites
Align regulations with seasonal tourism needs by allowing community opt-outs to take effect immediately upon arrival
Allow strate hotel and fractional ownership properties to operate as intended by providing them a full exemption without additional requirements.

“We understand the impetus behind the legislation, we have critical housing issues in this province,” Rainville stated.

“That said, we need to make sure policy is balancing these housing issues with economic well-being of interior communities. Our recommendations are really asking for a little more flexibility in the rules to allow for that balance.”

AoIR added it hoped the report would bring to light these issues and allows action to be taken to address them ahead of the tourist season, especially with this summer expected to see more domestic travelers visiting the Okanagan as Canadians choose to travel within their country rather than going to the United States.

by Liam Verster

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