Thousands of B.C. reservations at risk due to short-term rental regulations: Airbnb

Airbnb is warning that thousands of bookings in British Columbia could be cancelled because of new rules for short-term rentals. The company says some reservations are already being cancelled because hosts haven’t completed the required steps in time.

The new rules say that short-term rental platforms like Airbnb must confirm that each property is legally registered before listing it in B.C. If a listing isn’t registered, the government won’t allow bookings.

Airbnb’s Canadian policy lead, Alex Howell, said that some hosts who should be eligible to register are unable to do so because of technical glitches and problems with the new registration system.

Instead of waiting until the deadline—June 23—when bookings for unregistered properties will be automatically cancelled, Airbnb is reaching out now to guests and hosts. They are offering penalty-free cancellations for affected reservations.

B.C.’s housing ministry says the goal of the new policy is to free up rental homes for longer-term tenants. Under the rules, short-term rentals are limited to primary residences, secondary suites, or small on-site structures like laneway houses.

As of now, the B.C. Ministry of Housing has not responded to Airbnb’s concerns. The company’s warning comes amid a broader effort to balance housing needs and tourism in the province.