Why short-term rentals are a long-term problem

Good morning,

Well, I had high hopes yesterday to send paying members a breakdown of UBCM and a new restaurant review. As I hit hour two on my Via Rail train ride, I discovered I was at five percent power on my laptop and I’d left my power cord in Toronto.

Luckily my partner found it, but if you were wondering why there was no member newsletter yesterday, that’s why! Luckily I’ve gotten my power cord back and am furiously typing today’s newsletter on 100 percent battery life. Expect the next member's edition early next week.

Today, we’ve got:

• 📈 The impact of short-term rentals on the long-term rental market

• 🧑 How to improve roads for pedestrians

• 🗳️A short update on what city elected officials did this week

Let’s get to it!

— Geoff Sharpe, Vancity Lookout newsletter writer

HOUSING

The not-surprising impact of short-term rentals

In what is a surprise to no one following the housing issue, a new study shows that BC’s long-term rental market is facing big challenges because the prevalence of short-term rentals like Airbnb.

The big picture: More than 16,800 homes have been converted from long-term to short-term rentals, a 19 percent increase since June 2022, according to the Vancouver Sun. This resulted in a $2-billion increase in rents. Vancouver had 3,220 total listings, though as a percentage of units, smaller resort towns like Tofino have a much higher percentage.

• If you thought it was mom-and-pop listing their home, you’d be wrong. Commercial operators dominate listings, according to the study, with the top 10 percent of hosts accounting for 48.8 percent of revenue.

Rental impact: It’s estimated that rental prices increased by around 28 percent over the baseline because of the impact of increased short-term rentals.

Illegal units?: Twitter user Mortimer_1 has documented numerous examples of Vancouver properties illegally rented or using fake registration numbers, suggesting the city is likely not doing enough to crack down on the problem.

Yes, but: It’s always worth reading between the lines. The group who commissioned the survey was the British Columbia Hotel Association, according to CTV, who obviously are interested in less competition for short-term stays. With that said, it doesn’t mean the study’s data is incorrect, it’s just worth putting this in context and understanding motivations.

Solutions: The authors of the study note that solutions need to come from the province in order to effectively enforce the rules, since cities may not have the resources. Before Montreal brought in more stringent rules, there were widespread fake registrations, according to CTV, which is very similar to what appears to be happening in Vancouver. Montreal now requires the platform to verify that the place is registered, otherwise they face huge fines.

• New York’s new rules essentially have banned all Airbnbs, limiting them to only rooms inside buildings, with the host present. Hosts must also register with the city, according to CNBC.

What’s next: The province says they will be bringing in provincial rules to deal with the problem.

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🛩️ 787: The total score out of 1,000 the YVR is ranked in a survey about airport satisfaction. It ranks 17th, and is just below the average of 789. [Urbanized]

📉 11%: The drop in the percentage of people accessing safe supply over the last four months. The province is not sure why this is the case and is looking into it. [CBC]

🏗️ 2,600: The number of homes and rental homes proposed at Langara Gardens, which is now in the rezoning application review stage. It’s 21 acres and west of the Langara Golf Course. [Urbanized]

💰️ $30 million: How much a group of Bowen Island residents are offering to pay to purchase the land that would become a public park with camping. [Vancouver Sun]

PUBLIC SAFETY

Sticker campaign helps illustrate road safety issues

What happened: A group in Vancouver is raising awareness about the safety of Vancouver’s roads through a unique sticker campaign, according to CityNews. The group, Vision Zero Vancouver, has placed stickers on poles at key road intersections, which illustrate the number of crashes at the intersection per year.

Context: There are 178,000 crashes per year reported in the Lower Mainland, with 1,800 involving bikers and 2,400 with pedestrians. The top five worst intersections in Vancouver for crashes in 2022, according to data reviewed by Vancouver is Awesome, were:

• E Hastings and Main St (9)

• Turning lane at Cambie St and W 49th Ave (8)

• Cambie St and SW Marine Dr (5)

• Main St and Terminal Ave (5)

• Burrard St and W Georgia St (4)

The causes: I reached out to Vision Vancouver to answer a few questions. The biggest problem they described was road design. Those with multiple lanes encourage more speeding, even in more residential areas. Wide corners also pose a problem for pedestrians. Here’s what they said about B.C. in particular:

• “For a provincial context, in BC, drivers are allowed to make right-on-red turns. These are intended to make car trips a little shorter but at the expense of the safety of people outside of cars,” the organization said.

What can be done: In residential areas, Vision Zero cited the need for physical infrastructure to reduce speeding, while such things as paint is not enough. “The goal of street design for safety is slowing down cars, especially in environments where people are (e.g., residential and commercial streets),” they said.

Looking ahead: The organization was pessimistic about traffic safety and the current ABC council. Public consultations and pilots slow things down, making it take much longer to implement changes.

• How long does pedestrian infrastructure take to build? It will take around three years to build a crosswalk at Nanaimo Street and East 3rd Avenue, according to Global.

Yes, but: It’s a balancing act between creating a city for drivers and for pedestrians. It’s a constant give and take. But given the resources accorded to road investments, it’s fair to say more could be done for pedestrian and biking infrastructure safety.

THE AGENDA

🚚 It was a hit-and-run, but not the normal kind. A semi-truck hit the Main Street overpass on the Trans-Canada Highway in North Vancouver, and the driver fled the scene. The road was shut down for hours, and the company Whistler Courier and Freightways has had its freight license suspended. [CBC]

🏗️ A new day, a new story about how hard it is to build in Vancouver. A property developer said his company was unable to build a social housing project in the Downtown Eastside because of a multi-year challenge to secure a building permit from the city. [Global]

👎️ Speaking of building, Vancouver is at risk of losing its status as a global trade gateway, according to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, if the city doesn’t secure more industrial land. [Business in Vancouver]

👮 The Indian Consulate on Howe Street in downtown Vancouver now has a larger police presence after protests near the consulate. The protests were a result of the federal government’s allegations that the Indian government killed a prominent Sikh Canadian citizen. [Global]

A nonprofit group selling illegal drugs in Vancouver has not yet been shut down by the police, even though they’re breaking the law. The group is doing so to help increase safe supply. [Vancouver is Awesome]

If you complain enough, you’ll get your way is a bad lesson, but that’s what appears to have happened after locals in West Vancouver successfully convinced council to scrap a new sidewalk for students, even though data showed it was needed. [Global]

PROVINCIAL

Dispatches from UBCM

The Union of BC Municipalities convention is a great opportunity to understand how elected officials across BC are thinking about the biggest issues facing the region. I hope to have a more thorough review of UBCM next week, but here are some quick thoughts after reading up on everything and what it means for Vancouver.

New ways to tax: A resolution was passed to ask the provincial government to allow cities to tax residential properties at different rates, such as attached and detached homes, to allow cities to charge residential properties based on their actual costs, according to the New West Record.

Plans to address evictions: Vancouver Coun. Peter Fry noted that the city is the eviction capital of the country and changes are needed. According to Francis Bula who live-tweeted the event, Kahlon seemed to indicate changes may be on the way, saying, “How we move forward is something we're discussing.”

Cloud seeding obsession: In bit more lighter news, Coun. Lenny Zhao continued to be a little too obsessed with cloud seeding and asked Armel Castellan, the Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment of Climate Change Canada about its feasibility, who said the efforts by China to do this are laughable.

Forceful government approach: Earlier on in the session on housing Kahlon noted that the housing problem is “going to require government getting involved in housing.” So expect more from the BC NDP when it comes to housing policy.

If you want the full rundown, become a member today for only $99 for your first year.

EVENTS

Oktoberfest | Parallel 49 Brewery | Now until Oct. 8 | Music, food and of course, beer, to celebrate all things German… But mostly beer! | Free

Vancouver International Flamenco Festival | Multiple locations | Now until Sept. 30 | Come experience the popular Spanish dance, one of the few festivals like this outside of Spain | Multiple prices + shows

Interior Design Show | Vancouver Convention Centre | Now until Sunday | Fancy yourself a designer? Come see speakers, exhibits and more to inspire your home design | Tickets from $16

Lebanese Film Festival | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts | Friday to Sept. 25 | Free

Eastside Flea | 1101 Union St. | This Saturday and Sunday, 11 am-5 pm | The popular market is back, with local independent vendors, food trucks and more | Tickets $5

Vancouver Etsy Co - Fall Pop-Up Market | Robson Square Ice Rink | Saturday, Sept. 23, 10 am-5 pm | Featuring 90 local designers and creatives, plus it’s pet-friendly | Free

The Throwback by Art Rapture | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St | Tomorrow, 10 am-5 pm | An art show that pays homage to the past, with art from 15 artists | Tickets $17.90

Bike Repair Fair | Richmond Cultural Centre | This Saturday, 12 pm-4 pm | Get your bike repaired for free! | Free

Trauma-Informed Financial Support Group | Virtual | October 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, November 4th, and November 11th @ 11 am - 2 pm | An educational and processing series for folks struggling to feel secure in their finances and find a supportive community | Tickets sliding scale, $0-$249*

Apple Festival | UBC Botanical Garden, 6804 SW Marine Drive | Saturday and Sunday, October 14-15, 11 am - 4 pm | 30 varieties apples, trees | Tickets*

*Sponsored listing

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Tennis icon Roger Federer made a surprise visit to a tennis camp for kids at UBC. Very cool! [Striaght]

• It wouldn’t be a week in Vancouver without a car driving along the Seawall. [Reddit]

• There’s a new Mexican restaurant called La Cantina de Don Porfirio opening up at 151 E 8th Ave. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Congrats to these 10 shows who won awards at this year’s Vancouver Fringe Festival. [Straight]

• Now this is a nice sunset… [Reddit]

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GAME TIME

Congrats to Daniel, Nick, Mary Young, Pegi and Danielle who all guessed correctly that Wednesday’s VancouverGuesser was Trout Lake.

Think you can guess today’s Vancouver Wordle? Play it now.