BC City Guides

in British Columbia

Renting in BC's cities: Vancouver, Victoria and Metro Vancouver bylaws, business licences, short-term rental rules and local programs on top of the provincial RTA.

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The pillar guide: read it first and the rest of the hub falls into place.

Renting Out Property in Vancouver: The Landlord's Guide to Licences, Taxes and Rules

Pillar guide

BCGuide

Renting Out Property in Vancouver: The Landlord's Guide to Licences, Taxes and Rules

What a Vancouver landlord needs beyond the Residential Tenancy Act: the City's long-term rental business licence, the Empty Homes Tax and provincial speculation tax declarations, the 2026 cooling rule, and what CMHC's 2025 survey says about rents.

Do you need a business licence to rent out property in Vancouver?
Which tenancy rules apply to a Vancouver rental?
Which taxes does a Vancouver landlord declare?
What do Vancouver rentals rent for?
Common mistakes Vancouver landlords make
How Tenon10 helps

+2 more chapters in the guide

9 min read · 8 chapters

All articles

Provincial compliance
BCArticle
Vancouver Short-Term Rental Rules for Long-Term Landlords
Vancouver limits short-term rentals to the unit the host lives in, and the Province's registry sits on top. What long-term landlords need to know when a tenant asks to host.
8 min readOctober 24, 2026
Tax planning
BCGuide
Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax for Landlords: Declaring a Rental and Staying Exempt
Every Vancouver home needs an Empty Homes Tax declaration each year. Here is how the 3% tax works for the 2025 reference year, the dates the City has posted, and how a rental qualifies as occupied.
7 min readOctober 30, 2026
City guides
BCGuide
Renting Out Property in Victoria, BC: The Landlord's Guide to Licences, Maintenance Standards and Rents
What a Victoria landlord needs on top of BC's Residential Tenancy Act: the City's rental licences, its Rental Property Standards of Maintenance Bylaw and smoke alarm bylaw, the provincial speculation and vacancy tax, and what CMHC's 2025 survey says about rents.
7 min readOctober 30, 2026
Market analysis
BCGuide
BC Rents by City: Average Rents and Vacancy From CMHC's 2025 Survey
CMHC's October 2025 Rental Market Survey, city by city: two-bedroom average rents, the same-unit rent change and vacancy rates across BC, and what the numbers mean for landlords and renters.
7 min readOctober 30, 2026
City guides
BCGuide
Renting Out Property in Surrey: A Landlord's Guide to Provincial and City Rules
The provincial and City of Surrey rules for landlords: tenancy law, secondary suite registration and fees, short-term rental limits and the speculation tax.
7 min readNovember 9, 2026