Did you know the District has changed the Short-Term Rental (STR) licences and fee categories?
The changes were adopted at the Nov. 5 regular council meeting and will come into effect next year.
Short-term rental accommodation is defined by the District as “an accessory use of a dwelling unit, or any portion of it, for temporary commercial accommodation by transient paying guests for a period of less than 90 days.”
It includes “vacation rentals and bed and breakfasts, but is not a home occupation and does not include tourist accommodation.”
According to the District of Squamish website, the new STR licences will come into effect on Jan 1, 2025.
New and existing STR licences will be charged at the following rates:
- Short-term Rental Accommodation for Principal Residence $400; or
- Short-term Rental Accommodation for Non-Principal Residence is $3,000 (licences with a TUP for secondary suites or accessory dwelling units).
Existing STR licences that previously fell under the categories below will be moved into the new Principal Residence category for 2025:
- Monthly Licence for Shared or Private Room.
- Annual Licence for Shared or Private Room.
- Monthly Licence for Entire Dwelling Unit.
- Annual Licence for Entire Dwelling Unit.
The fee for the Non-Principal Residence category has not changed.
In June, the District updated its definition of a STR accommodation to align with the Province’s definition.
As a result of the update, “any dwelling unit that is rented for less than 90 days is categorized as a short-term rental and requires an STR business licence from the District to list on STR Platforms (such as Airbnb and VRBO).”
The District also increased the fine amount for STR infractions, such as listing a unit without a valid STR business licence, from “$500 to $3,000 per infraction, per day.”
According to the Airbnb website, there are 181 short-term rentals listed within the Squamish boundaries. This number includes entire properties and individual rooms.
For any questions regarding the 2025 STR licence and fee change, please email [email protected].
