Short-term rental license fee in Vancouver to be hiked from $109 to $1,000

At a public meeting, the Vancouver City Council unanimously approved an amendment to increase the annual license fee for short-term rental purposes, such as Airbnb, from the existing rate of $109 annually to $1,000 annually. This 800% increase is expected to generate roughly $2.6 million in new revenue for the municipal government per year, which could go towards improved enforcement of the regulations and public communications. The fee increase is intended to disincentivize unregulated operators and offset the cost of enforcement, however some council members argued that the rate is too high and may discourage casual users.