Which West Vancouver homes can legally host paid guests
Last reviewed: August 2026. Rules in this area changed in 2024 and again in 2026.
An owner asks the question on a Tuesday, usually while the listing sits. Can the house take paid guests while we wait for a buyer?
Answer it wrong in the optimistic direction and the owner furnishes a home that was never allowed to operate. Answer it wrong in the cautious direction and you talk them out of income they were entitled to, while the listing keeps sitting. Most agents get this question two or three times a year, which is often enough to matter and not often enough to have a place to look it up.
Here is the read, written out.
The principal residence requirement decides most files
A principal residence is the home a person lives in more days of the year than anywhere else. One person has one principal residence, and it cannot be split across two properties.
That single fact resolves most files before anything else is checked. Where the requirement applies, a whole home rented to guests while the owner lives somewhere else is generally not compliant, however the listing is worded. Where it does not apply, the same house can operate all year.
What applies where
| Where | What applies |
|---|---|
| Metro Vancouver urban core | The principal residence requirement applies. Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey and their neighbours. Population is the trigger, not the postal code. |
| Burnaby, specifically | Guest stays capped at 90 nights per calendar year. Proof of principal residence required, plus a strata letter of permission where a strata governs the building. |
| North Vancouver | Two jurisdictions. The City and the District license separately, with different applications. An address one street over can fall under the other one. |
| Exempt communities | Roughly 94 smaller municipalities and mountain resorts sit outside the requirement, including Whistler, Tofino, Ucluelet, Sun Peaks and Big White. Kelowna is reported to have opted out in June 2026. |
| Any strata building | A strata bylaw restricts on top of all of the above and a municipal licence does not override it. |
The three questions to ask before you answer
1. Which municipality governs it, and which part of that municipality?
Not the mailing address. The governing municipality, because two North Vancouvers license separately and bylaws stop at boundaries that do not always match how people describe where they live.
2. Is this the owner’s principal residence?
The place they live more days of the year than anywhere else. If the owner has already moved out, or lives primarily elsewhere for part of the year, this is the fact that decides the file.
3. Does the strata permit it?
A strata bylaw restricts independently of the municipality. It can say no when the city says yes.
Three answers and you know which of three outcomes applies. Yes with a licence. Yes but capped. Or no.
Working on a specific address? Send it over and we send back a written read on that home, including where the licence question lands. Ask about one address.
“Everyone on that street is doing it”
Some of them are compliant. Some of them are principal residences. And some of them have not been looked at yet.
The part that matters for an agent is who carries it. Enforcement lands on the owner, not on the agent who mentioned it, and not on the booking platform. The owner is the one who fills out the licence application and signs the declaration on it.
Which is exactly why the read is worth doing before the furniture arrives.
What happens after the answer is yes
A home cleared to operate most of the year and a home limited to the days the owner is away are the same house with very different economics. The gap between those two is wider than most owners expect, and it decides whether the file is worth running at all.
That part is not a general answer. It moves with the address, the layout, the season and the strata. We put it in writing per property, or not at all.
If the question underneath this one is what a manager actually does for the fee, we wrote that out line by line in what a property management fee actually covers.
Frequently asked questions
Does a short term licence transfer when the home sells?
No. Municipal licences in British Columbia are issued to a person for an address and do not transfer with a sale. A buyer applies in their own name.
Can an owner host paid guests in a home they do not live in?
Where the principal residence requirement applies, generally not. Outside those communities, yes. The address decides which situation applies.
What counts as a principal residence?
The home a person lives in more days of the year than anywhere else. One per person, and it cannot be split between two properties.
Is Burnaby’s 90 night cap per booking or per year?
Per calendar year, counted across all guest stays at that address.
Which North Vancouver licence does an address need?
Whichever of the City or the District governs that address. They are separate jurisdictions with separate applications, and neighbouring streets can fall under different ones.
Can a strata block paid guests even with a city licence?
Yes. A strata bylaw restricts independently of the municipality and a licence does not override it.
Who is responsible if a home operates without a licence?
The owner. Enforcement and penalties attach to the property owner, not to the agent or the booking platform.
Does West Vancouver follow the same rule as the City of Vancouver?
Both sit within the regulated region, but licensing is administered municipally and the paperwork differs. Confirm the requirements for the specific address rather than assuming the region is uniform.
Ask us about one address
Send one address and we send back a written read on that specific home, including where the licence question lands, within 24 hours. No meeting, no pitch, no commitment.
JB, Luvilla 604-712-8002 · jaybee@luvilla.com
More on how we work with owners on the North Shore: what we do and West Vancouver.
Sources: Province of British Columbia, principal residence requirement under the Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act. City of Burnaby business licensing. City of North Vancouver and District of North Vancouver licensing. Kelowna’s June 2026 opt out is reported and should be confirmed at source. Rules change. Confirm current status before relying on any of this for a specific property.
Luvilla. Hospitality operations and furnished accommodation. Operating since 2017, West Vancouver and the North Shore.