---
title: Victoria short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)
question: "Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Victoria?"
place: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/victoria
category: Housing and renting
owner: shared
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/short-term-rental/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/short-term-rental.json"
---

# Victoria short-term rental rules (Airbnb, Vrbo)

**Question:** Can I rent out my home or a room on Airbnb in Victoria?

**Short answer:** In the City of Victoria you can rent only your principal residence, for under 30 nights, with a City short-term rental business licence ($150 a year) and a provincial registration. While you are home you may rent up to two bedrooms; while away, the whole home for up to 160 nights a year.

**Who handles it:** More than one level of government  
**Cost:** City licence $150 a year, not refunded if you later become ineligible. Hosts also pay an annual provincial registration fee (amount not stated in the sources read).  
**How long:** Licences expire January 15 and are renewed each year.  
**Where:**
- Email: Short-term rental licence applications and questions, str@victoria.ca
- Phone: ServiceBC (provincial short-term rental registry), 1-833-828-2240
- Email: Provincial short-term rental registry, STRregistry@sbc.gov.bc.ca
- Email: City Clerk's Office (appeal of a denied licence), legislativeservices@victoria.ca

## Key facts

- **Allowed:** Only in the operator's principal residence, with a City licence. While the operator is home, up to two bedrooms may be rented and the rental cannot take up an entire self-contained dwelling unit. While temporarily away, the whole residence may be rented up to 160 nights a calendar year. Rentals are under 30 nights.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rentals, Short-Term Rentals page](https://www.victoria.ca/building-business/business-licensing/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rentals are only permitted in your principal dwelling unit." … "Short-term rental cannot occupy an entire self-contained dwelling unit." … "you can rent your entire unit for no more than 160 nights in a calendar year." … "you can rent no more than two bedrooms in your principal dwelling unit throughout the year."
  - Source: [Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule D Home Occupations, Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule D, s. 12](https://www.victoria.ca/media/1198)
  - Official wording: "a short-term rental is" … "no more than two bedrooms may" … "no more than 160 nights in a calendar year;"
  - Source: [Zoning Bylaw 2018, Zoning Bylaw 2018, s. 20(i)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-2018)
  - Official wording: "the entire Principal Residence may be used for a Short-term Rental while"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Business licence:** Yes. A Short-Term Rental Business Licence is required to advertise or operate, even with no bookings. The fee is $150 and it is renewed each year (expires January 15). Applicants need owner consent, a strata letter if in a strata lot, and proof the home is their principal residence.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036, Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036, s. 3](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0)
  - Official wording: "A person must not carry on business as a short-term rental operator unless the" … "The licence fee for purposes of subsection (2)(b) is $150."
  - Source: [Short-Term Rentals, Short-Term Rentals page](https://www.victoria.ca/building-business/business-licensing/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "The cost of a Short-Term Rental Business Licence is $150." … "All Short-Term Rental Business Licences expire January 15 and must be re-applied for annually." … "a valid licence is required to advertise short-term rentals regardless if you have accepted any bookings."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Provincial registration:** Yes. Hosts must register each short-term rental unit with the Province to operate in B.C., and pay an annual registration fee.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rentals, Short-Term Rentals page](https://www.victoria.ca/building-business/business-licensing/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rental hosts must register each of their short-term rental units with the Province to operate in B.C."
  - Source: [Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia, Province of B.C. short-term rentals page](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals)
  - Official wording: "Short-term rental hosts, platforms and strata hotel platforms in B.C. must register and pay annual registration fees."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Operating rules:** Show the City business licence number in every advertisement. Display the responsible person's name and contact in the rental at all times; that person must reach the rental within two hours, and must be named if the operator is away. No liquor may be provided to guests and no advertising sign may be posted.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036, s. 5, s. 6](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0)
  - Official wording: "only if a valid business licence number is included in any advertising, listing, or promotion material" … "prominently displayed in the short-" … "The responsible person must be able to attend at the short-term rental premises" … "within two hours of being requested to do so."
  - Source: [Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule D Home Occupations, Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule D, s. 12(3), (4)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/1198)
  - Official wording: "no liquor may be provided to short-term rental guest;" … "No sign may be erected, used, or maintained for the"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine:** Ticket Bylaw Schedule GG: $500 for operating without a valid licence ($500 if paid within 30 days); $250 for no licence number in advertising; $350 for each responsible-person failure. Court fines range from $100 to $10,000 per offence per day.
  - Source: [Ticket Bylaw 10-071, Schedule GG](https://www.victoria.ca/media/635)
  - Official wording: "Operate without a valid" … "Failure to include" … "business licence number in advertising" … "Failure to designate a" … "responsible person"
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036, s. 8](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0)
  - Official wording: "a fine of not less than" … "$100.00 and not more than $10,000.00 for every instance that an offence occurs or each"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw No. 18-036; Zoning Regulation Bylaw No. 80-159, Schedule D (Home Occupations); Zoning Bylaw 2018 (No. 18-072), s. 20; Business Licence Bylaw No. 89-071.
  - Source: [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036, title](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0)
  - Official wording: "SHORT-TERM RENTAL REGULATION BYLAW" … "BYLAW NO. 18-036"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

The City of Victoria allows short-term rentals (under 30 nights) only in the operator's principal residence, with a City licence. While you are home, you may rent up to two bedrooms, and the rental cannot take up an entire self-contained dwelling unit. While you are temporarily away, you may rent the whole residence for up to 160 nights in a calendar year. Renters may operate with the owner's permission (and the strata's, if any). Strata bylaws still apply.

## Steps

1. Register your rental with the Province (ServiceBC, 1-833-828-2240, STRregistry@sbc.gov.bc.ca). Hosts must register each unit and pay an annual fee.
2. Email a complete application to str@victoria.ca with owner consent, a strata letter if you are in a strata lot, and proof the home is your principal residence.
3. Pay the $150 licence fee. You need the licence to advertise or operate, even with no bookings.
4. Renew each year before the January 15 expiry.

## Good to know

- Show your City business licence number in every advertisement.
- Display the responsible person's name and contact in the rental at all times. That person must be able to reach the rental within two hours, and must be named if you are away.
- No liquor may be provided to guests and no advertising sign may be posted.
- Ticket Bylaw Schedule GG: $500 for operating without a valid licence; $250 for no licence number in advertising; $350 for each responsible-person failure. Court fines range from $100 to $10,000 per offence per day.
- A denied licence can be appealed through the City Clerk's Office at legislativeservices@victoria.ca.
- The bylaws are the [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0) and Schedule D of the Zoning Regulation Bylaw; Zoning Bylaw 2018 section 20 applies to properties it covers.

## What you'll need

- Proof the home is your principal residence
- Owner consent if you rent
- A letter from your strata if you live in a strata lot

## Official forms and pages

- [Short-Term Rentals page](https://www.victoria.ca/building-business/business-licensing/short-term-rentals)
- [2026 Short-Term Rental Business Licence Application](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/2026-short-term-rental-business-application-form)
- [Provincial short-term rental rules](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals)

## Related questions

- [Victoria business licences: who needs one, fees and how to apply](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/business-licence.md)
- [Victoria home-based business rules](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/home-based-business.md)
- [Victoria bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Short-term rental rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/short-term-rental.md)
- [Oak Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/short-term-rental.md)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/short-term-rental.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/short-term-rental.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/short-term-rental.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/short-term-rental.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/short-term-rental.md)

## Sources

- [Short-Term Rentals, City of Victoria](https://www.victoria.ca/building-business/business-licensing/short-term-rentals) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Short-Term Rental Regulation Bylaw 18-036 (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/short-term-rental-regulation-bylaw-18-036-0) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Regulation Bylaw, Schedule D Home Occupations (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/1198) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Zoning Bylaw 2018 (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/zoning-bylaw-2018) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Ticket Bylaw 10-071 (PDF), Schedule GG](https://www.victoria.ca/media/635) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Short-term rentals, Province of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals) (read 2026-11-05)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 6 facts was matched to the official text. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with any government. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/short-term-rental/_