You need a Vancouver short-term rental business licence before offering stays of fewer than 90 consecutive days in the home you live in. It is issued to the resident operator, with landlord and strata approval where required. The City currently charges a $1,108 licence fee plus a $77 application fee.
The application is part of getting your home ready
You do not need to arrive with the paperwork finished. Tell us about the home and how you want to use it. At the free review, we look at it with our legal team and tell you if it cannot be hosted, before any set-up starts.
- We review the home first. We check the proposed use against the City rules, including which unit is your principal residence.
- We help prepare the application. Licensing support means help with the licence or registration your area asks for; the City decides whether to issue it.
- We keep the number on the listing. Alongside the photos, description and pricing, we keep your listing current as part of management.
- We run the stays. Bookings, messages, cleaning, laundry, keys and repairs come to us once we take on the home. See our Vancouver management service.
What stays with you
- The licence and the residence. The operator licence belongs to the person who lives there. Hiring a management company does not make it our principal residence or transfer that requirement to us.
- Your permissions. The applicable strata or landlord authorization must be in place before the application.
Questions owners ask
Does the licence renew automatically? The City requires renewal each year by December 31 and says to update listings with the new licence number. The annual licence fee is currently $1,108.
Is the City licence the only registration? No. After receiving it, you must also register with the Province. We help prepare what your home needs; our Vancouver rules guide explains the residence rule, and the BC guide covers the provincial layer.
Checked on 11 November 2026: City of Vancouver, short-term rental business licence.
General information, not legal advice.