Vancouver’s new rules for short-term rentals
2017-07-26
Vancouver B.C. (26 July 2017)
Vancouver residents are divided when it comes short-term rentals (STRs) on platforms like Airbnb. The poll, released for public education Justason Market Intelligence, finds residents are as ambivalent when it comes to the recently approved STR regulations.
With a view to offering 1,000 additional long-term rental units for local residents, Vancouver City Council has approved a regulatory framework that would prohibit STRs (aka home sharing) in secondary suites, laneway homes, and investment properties. Assuming the regulations pass this fall, STRs will be legal only in residents’ private homes.
NEW HOME SHARING RULES DIVIDE THE CITY
A slim majority (57%) of Vancouverites favour the new STR rules legalizing home sharing only in private homes. One-third (35%) are against the proposed new rules.
Residents most likely to favour the new rules:
- Downtown Peninsula residents (68%);
- Renters (66% vs. 43% among home owners);
- Younger residents (62% vs. 50% among those 55 and older); and
- STR opponents (73% vs. 45% among STR supporters).
HOW DO WE FEEL ABOUT SHORT-TERM RENTALS GENERALLY?
Just over half (53%) support STRs, with 23% “strongly” supportive. Forty percent (40%) oppose; 17% are “strongly” opposed.
Geographically, we find no meaningful variances in support across Vancouver’s three broad regions of Downtown Peninsula, East Side and West Side.
The home sharing divides emerge when we examine age and residents’ dwelling type:
- Younger residents (<35) are more supportive of STRs than are 35-54 year olds (59% vs 47% support);
- Single family home dwellers also are significantly more supportive of STRs than their counterparts in apartments and other dwelling types (64% vs 47-48%).
Not surprisingly, robust support is drawn from past STR hosts (70%, with 38% strongly supportive). However, even among residents who have never hosted, we find support (at 48%) outweighs opposition (at 45%), albeit within sample margin.
View STR support data table here.
View support for new STR rules here.
Research Notes
These are the findings of an online survey of 400 residents of the City of Vancouver. The survey, shared for pubic education, was conducted by Justason Market Intelligence. The final weighted sample reflects the actual population demographics according to the most recent census (2016). These data rely on an online sample of the firm’s residential / consumer panel, recruited using probability sampling by landline and cell phone.- Dates of research: Online, July 20-24, 2017.
- Sample size: 400 Vancouver residents.
- Methodology: Justason Market Intelligence online residential panel.
- Weighting: Final population data were weighted to match actual regional, gender, and age distributions according to the 2016 Canadian Census.
- Margin of error: An unweighted probability sample of 400 carries a margin of error of +/-5.0 percentage points 95% of the time.
- Research Sponsor: Justason Market Intelligence Inc.
+1 604 783 4165 / Barb@JustasonMI.com / JMI.co – 30 –
