A group opposed to the BC NDP’s short term rental ban has launched a petition to fight back.
The BC Property Rights Association is calling for amendments to the Short-term Rental Accommodations Act to provide exemptions for purpose built properties with commercial zoning.
British Columbia is home to many short term rental purpose built properties that have been previously constructed and completed which now with David Eby’s BC NDP short term rental ban strips that right they were specifically approved for previously.
The group acknowledged the attempt at cracking down on illegally operating short term rentals. But says the blanket solution will have a marginal effect on increasing long term rental units because they were built based on high operational costs specifically for the short term rental market.
“We define ‘Lawfully Operating STRs’ as those zoned and/or licensed by the municipalities they operate in. These STRs were operating within the law when the STRAA was passed and contributed significantly to the tourism industry and local economies through the MRDT tourism tax directly to affordable housing funds and projects.”
While this dispute is currently over housing and vacation properties. It sets a dangerous precedent, the idea could easily be applied to any type of business operating in the province.
The group is concerned with government overreach saying this ban discourages individuals and businesses from investing in the province because it creates uncertainty for the future of an investment if the government can just turn around the next day and ban that business from operating.
“By retroactively altering Legal Non-Conforming (LNC) property statuses, this has degraded investments and eroded trust in the regulatory framework. This abrupt shift undermines the financial security of countless property owners.” it reads on the website of BC Property Rights Association
