BC’s new rules limiting short-term rentals to the owner’s principal residence kicked in May 1, but lodgings on farm-class properties are exempt.
The exemption holds, even if a local government that isn’t subject to the new rules has chosen to opt in.
The list of exempt areas includes the District of Kent, Keremeos, Oliver, Osoyoos, Peachland and West Kelowna, but Kent, Osoyoos, Pemberton and parts of the Cowichan Valley and Okanagan Similkameen regional districts are among the 17 areas that have chosen to subject themselves to the new rules.
The rules aim to free up housing in areas where there are shortages. The province claims 19,000 homes will become available for long-term tenants rather than tourists and vacationers.
The exemption on farm class properties reflects the importance of diverse income streams for farmers, a key ask when rules governing farm housing were revamped in 2021.
The new rules, which followed a controversial series of consultations beginning in 2018, shortly after the BC NDP took power, allowed owners of property within the Agricultural Land Reserve to build a second home or suite to use as a rental property, farm worker lodgings, agritourism, or for extended family members to use for non-farm use.
Previously, secondary units were only allowed with permission, and if intended for the use of immediate family members or farm operations such as worker housing.
“We recognize the unique needs of established farming families, those new to farming and those living in the ALR who don’t farm,” former BC agriculture minister Lana Popham said in releasing the rules in July 2021, highlighting how the new rules would support the financial and housing needs of farmland owners.
“Our government’s goal from the outset has been to protect farmland for future generations, so British Columbians can have a secure local food system and our communities can prosper.”
Popham was shuffled out of the agriculture portfolio at the end of 2022, and now oversees tourism, which will be directly impacted by the new short-term rental rules.
Farmland lease rates