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District of Sechelt
Short-term Rental (STR)
OPERATOR'S GUIDE
2
WHAT IS A SHORT-TERM RENTAL?
The District of Sechelt Zoning Bylaw No. 580 defines a short-term rental as the accessory use of a dwelling unit,
or a portion of a dwelling unit, for the accommodation of paying guests, but is not a residential tenancy.
BY PAYING
GUESTS
IT IS DIFFERENT THAN
HOUSING
e.g. secondary suites, carriage houses,
garden suites, cabins, rooms in a house
FOR A SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME
e.g. less than a month
OFTEN FACILITATED
BY PLATFORMS
e.g. Airbnb, VRBO
TOURIST ACCOMMODATION
Includes hotels, motels, resorts, etc.
RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES
a.k.a "Long-term rentals"
Includes all rentals covered by a BC tenancy agreement
longer than 30 days (fixed-term or month-to-month)
IT IS THE RENTAL OF A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNIT
either the entire dwelling or a room(s) within it
Illustration adapted from Shannon Jamison, Eric Swanson. Regulating short-term rentals: a toolkit for Canadian
local governments. Third Space Planning, 2021. Available at: http://www.thirdspaceplanning.ca/str-toolkit-2021
DISTRICT OF SECHELT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOODS
3
WHERE?
This guide is for
short-term rental
businesses located
within the District of
Sechelt.
STRs located in the
Sunshine Coast
Regional District
(SCRD) and/ or
Town of Gibsons
will have different
requirements.
Consult with those
jurisdictions if your
STR property is not
located within the
District of Sechelt.
GOALS
Priorities for managing STRs are to:
ENCOURAGE RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBOURHOOD FIT
PROTECT LONG-TERM RENTAL
HOUSING SUPPLY
4
TYPES OF STRs
There are two types of STR business licences permitted in the District of Sechelt's
residential zones.
TYPE 1:
PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE
- Up to three bedrooms inside a principal residence may be rented
out. The owner/long term renter lives on the property and must
be present during STR guest stays.
- This type of rental replaces the previous category of Bed and
Breakfast home occupation and business licence.
- If the principal residence is a strata property, the STR operator
must show proof of strata council authorization.
COST: One time application fee $200 + annual business
licence fee of $500/ year.
"PRINCIPAL
RESIDENCE" means
a single dwelling
unit where a
person lives at least
nine months in a
calendar year and
conducts their daily
affairs including,
without limitation,
paying bills and
receiving mail.
The resident uses
this address for
their identification
documents, taxes,
insurance and more.
TYPE 2:
SELF-CONTAINED SUITE ON PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE PROPERTY
- A fully self-contained separate suite on the
principal residence property. This may be a
basement suite, garden suite, carriage house
or other legal self-contained dwelling unit.
- The owner/long-term renter lives on the
property and is present during guest stays.
Proof of owner's authorization is required if a
long-term tenant is the STR operator.
- There is a limit of two STR suites per property,
depending on applicable zoning.
COST: One-time application fee of $200 +
annual business licence fee of $900/ year
(for up to two STR accessory dwelling units
on a property).
5
WHO CAN OPERATE AN STR?
- Only individuals (not companies) are allowed to operate STRs in the District of Sechelt. Companies
can help with maintenance and management complaints, but it is the property owner who must
hold the STR business licence, whose name must appear in the STR advertisements and listings,
and who is ultimately responsible for ensuring STR use complies with District of Sechelt
regulations. A long-term renter may operate the STR on behalf of the owner IF an owner consent
form is submitted to the District, AND the renter operator appears in the STR advertisements and
listings as a "co-host", in addition to the owner.
- Both owners and long-term renters can operate STRs (with strata council and landlord approvals,
as applicable). May change due to provincial regulations.
NON-DWELLING UNITS
- For fire safety and building code reasons, STRs will only be permitted for legal suites and spaces
that are defined as habitable units in the BC Building Code. STRs will not be permitted in boats,
recreational vehicles (RVs), motor vehicles, tents, yurts or anything that is not a dwelling unit.
6
HOW TO GET A BUSINESS LICENCE
ALL STR OPERATORS IN THE DISTRICT OF SECHELT are required to have
a business licence to operate a short-term rental. The STR business licence
number must be included in all advertisements and online platforms.
STR operators must apply with the following:
1 Principal Residence - District of Sechelt defines principal residence as the dwelling where a person lives, conducts their daily affairs and receives official
government mail. The owner's principal residence address is used on documentation related to the billing, identification, taxation and insurance purposes
including income tax returns, drivers' licence, vehicle registration, and utility bills. The STR applicant/ operator must provide proof of principal residency. An
individual may only reside in one principal residence unit. The principal residence property may have multiple dwelling units (i.e. self-contained suites).
1a. TYPE 1 & 2: Proof of principal
residence1 - a British Columbia
(BC) Driver's Licence or BC Services
Card showing the same address as
the proposed STR, plus one of the
following showing the same address as
the STR:
- Homeowner's grant declaration;
- Utility bill;
- Voter identification card; or
- Income tax form.
2. Owner authorization - if a long-term
rental tenant is the principal resident,
proof of owner's authorization is
required. If the principal residence is a
strata property, strata council approval
is required. Authorization must include
home owner's name, address and
contact information. May change due to
provincial regulations.
3. Parking plan - must include one
designated onsite parking space for
every bedroom used an an STR, in
addition to parking requirements for
other uses. Where the unit is a strata,
and the required parking involves
common property, the parking plan
must be approved by the strata council
or president (proof is required).
4. Business Licence application -
provide complete information.
5. Guest Safety Form and Fire Safety
Plan - see Health and Safety
Information on page 8.
6. Contact information - for the
STR operator and/ or designated
responsible person(s).
7. Fee - one-time application fee and
annual business licence fee (see fees
listed below).
Type 1: Principal
Residence STR
$200 application fee
$500/ year
Type 2: Self-Contained
Suite STR on Principal
Residence Property
$200 application fee
$900/ year
If you would like to make changes to your
short-term rental information, please contact
District of Sechelt Business Licencing or email
[email protected].
7
HEALTH AND SAFETY
INFORMATION
All STRs must be legally constructed with a valid
building permit. STR operators must submit both
a Guest Safety Form (confirming compliance with
basic safety measures) and a Fire Safety Plan.
District of Sechelt staff may visit the proposed
STR unit to verify submitted information prior to
business licence approval. Scope of inspection
will not include verification of legal suites (e.g.
building permit-related issues), though bad
circumstances will be noted.
Operator's must display the following in an
obvious location within the STR in an area visable
to occupants and neighbours:
- Business Licence
- Parking plan
- Fire Safety Plan
- Contact information for themselves
- Contact information for designated
responsible person
- Emergency services contact information.
Operators must maintain safety measures
outlined in their Guest Safety Form. Operators
must also keep a record of the number of days
their STR is booked, along with maintenance
records for smoke alarms, fire extinguishers and
carbon monoxide detectors.
HOW TO BE A GOOD
NEIGHBOUR
STR guest accommodations in residential
neighbourhoods must be conscious of being
good neighbours. The STR use cannot generate
noise, glare, odours, excessive traffic, or other
effects that unreasonably interfere with any
neighbours' enjoyment of their residence.
Any campfires must be in compliance with local
regulations and seasonal fire allowances.
NOISE - District of Sechelt Noise Control
Bylaw prohibits any person from making
noise that disturbs peace and comfort of the
neighbourhood. Quiet hours are Monday to
Saturday 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; Sunday and holidays
11 p.m. to 9 a.m.
GARBAGE / RECYCLING - District of Sechelt
solid waste bylaw requires separation of
garbage, organic/food waste and recycling.
All bins must be stored away from wildlife.
To minimize wildlife conflicts, waste bins may
only be left out between 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. on the
scheduled day of collection. Non compliance
may result in fines.
PARKING - STR operators must submit a parking
plan for approval along with their business
licence application. One dedicated onsite
parking space is required for every bedroom
used as an STR. The STR operator should
encourage guests not to park on the street.
WATER USE - Water is limited on the Sunshine
Coast and often restricted during the summer
months. Any water restriction notices issued
by the Sunshine Coast Regional District must
be up-to-date, displayed in the STR and clearly
explained to STR guests.
8
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q
What will happen to the existing Bed
and Breakfasts?
Existing Bed and Breakfasts will be unified
under the new system for short-term rental
accommodations. Existing operations will need
to apply for an STR business licence for principal
residence (Type 1 for rooms in principal residence)
and comply with the new conditions of the
business licence bylaw.
Q
How were the Business Licence
fees set?
Council directed the STR management program
to be cost recovery. Considerable time and
resources were spent in consulting with
community members, developing regulations,
and setting up program materials for launch.
Added staff reviews, compliance monitoring and
enforcement costs associated with the updated
STR regulations, are also to be fully paid for by
the STR business licence fees. For comparison,
the cost charged to STR operators of self-
contained suites in the District of Squamish are
$7000 per year. The proposed fees for the District
of Sechelt are within the range of similar fees
charged by other jurisdictions (ie. Town of
Gibsons, District of Squamish).
Q
I already pay Municipal and Regional
District Tax (MRDT) and provincial
taxes. Why do I need to pay a business licence
application fee?
The District of Sechelt business licence
application fee is additional to the provincial
MRDT and PST and federal GST taxes required
for all short-term accommodations in British
Columbia.
Q
Scenario - I want to rent a room in my
home and a self-contained suite on
my property of primary residence. My STR
covers two types - Type 1: Principal Residence
STR and Type 2: Self-Contained Suite STR on
Principal Residence Property. Which licence fee
do I pay?
An STR operator, renting Type 1 and Type 2 STRs
can rent a maximum of two units on their principal
residence property. The higher fee will be charged
for the STR. Type 2 STR one-time application fee
of $200 and business licence fee of $900/ year
will be charged.