Tourism groups worry as B.C.'s short-term rental rules change
Communities in the tourism-heavy Okanagan are among those facing new limits on Airbnb, VRBO rentals
Ralph and Tina Gerlitsch say they've had to rethink their retirement plans due to B.C.'s new short-term rental regulations.
The couple own a bungalow on a leafy residential street in the Glenmore neighbourhood of Kelowna, B.C., and, for the last couple of years, they've also been running a seasonal Airbnb in a downtown Kelowna highrise.
They would rent the apartment to tourists in the summer and students during the academic year.
"We ran [it] for two years and it was wonderful," Ralph Gerlitsch said.
However, starting May 1, new provincial rules will make such enterprises illegal.
In many B.C. communities, including Kelowna, short-term rentals will only be allowed in an operator's principal residence, and one secondary suite or carriage house on the same property.
The Gerlitsches say their Airbnb is one of those that will have to shut down.
"This was our Hail Mary for retirement. It really hurts when somebody at a desk, in government, can tell me what I can do with my property," Ralph said.
"Don't ask me if I'm angry, but I certainly am."
While the provincial government hopes the rule changes will free up much-needed housing for long-term residents, critics say they are also creating uncertainty for the broader tourism industry with some worrying the Okanagan will become a destination reserved for the wealthy, and businesses will suffer in the process.
Uncertainty for tourists and tourism
Known for its lakes, beaches and wineries, the Okanagan Valley attracts crowds each year, with more than two million overnight trips to the Kelowna area alone in 2023, according to Tourism Kelowna statistics.
The same agency says the tourism industry has an annual economic impact of $2.4 billion in the Central Okanagan.
That means many businesses have a financial stake in tourists finding a place to stay — and some feel as if the short-term rental rules are limiting affordable accommodation options.
"Our hands are really tied unless they suddenly open up a bunch of brand new hotels at a decent price," said Krystina Rossworm, whose company offers private tours of wineries and adventure spots in the Lake Country region.
"I am afraid of what's going to happen and I feel very powerless against this type of decision."
Tourists themselves have been left uncertain about what the changes mean for them.
Jackie Roberts of Lacombe, Alta., booked accommodation in Kelowna this summer through Airbnb.
Now she's unsure whether the booking will be able to go ahead.
When she went to look for alternative places she ran into issues with both availability and price.
"I know it is going to deter people from going if, one, there is no vacancy and, two, we are paying double the price or more to find a place that is available," Roberts said.
Plenty of available rooms: hotel director
An executive in the local hotel industry disagrees that tourist accommodation will be a problem under the new regulations.
Rudolf Heider, director of hospitality for Argus Properties, which has four hotels in the Kelowna area, says hotels have plenty of space to cope with demand.
Heider said in 2023 hotel occupancy in Kelowna was 59 per cent, lower than the 69 per cent occupancy provincewide.
He believes the regulation can actually help the tourism industry by helping to open up housing for staff to live in.
"We have, over the last couple of years, seen quite a few managers … leave Kelowna and go to other places [like] Kamloops, Trail, etc., because housing is just not affordable any more, or not available," he said.
Asked if the price of hotel rooms is going to increase because hotels have less competition, Heider said he doesn't think his hotels compete that much with Airbnb.
"I don't feel it will be a huge increase in the pricing," Heider said.
"I don't think it will bring that much demand that you can really push pricing and I think we have room even during those [peak] months to really take the additional demand."
More hotels being built
Data from Tourism Kelowna shows the area's hotels are typically between 70 and 90 per cent full in the summer.
The society's CEO, Lisanne Ballantyne, said the Kelowna area currently has about 4,500 room nights in conventional accommodation and, during peak seasons, around 2,000 active short-term rental listings.
That means short-term rentals have made up about 30 per cent of Kelowna's tourist accommodation during peak seasons.
Ballantyne said there are more hotels in the works for the city.
"My office probably gets at least three requests every month from developers that are looking for information to help them develop hotel properties. We have a number of cranes in the sky and we also have a number of hotels waiting to come online as well," she said.
As for Ralph and Tina Gerlitsch, they'll be selling their home and moving into what used to be their short-term rental apartment.
Ralph expects they'll soon be handing over the keys to his house to a new owner.
"There will be tears. For sure, there will be tears," he said.
B.C.'s new short-term rental rules go into effect May 1. Read more about what they are and how they are being received around the province:
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