Homeowner Louise Ferguson says that the current short-term rental (STR) rules of both the District of Squamish and the provincial government are inadvertently punishing residents who are just trying to get by in a pricey market.
Ferguson adds that these rules are particularly tough on women and the process is unnecessarily challenging for some, like herself, who have a disability.
She owns a home and cabin on her property, but can only rent out her main house, due to local STR rules.
What are the rules?
In Squamish, a person who lives in their home can legally short-term rent their principal residence for periods of less than 90 days.
Short-term rentals are not generally permitted in secondary suites or coach houses.
However, the District does permit 30 secondary suites or accessory dwelling units, like coach houses, for short-term rental through a temporary use permit (TUP) process. This requires a specific permit and application.
Once the maximum is reached, no additional permits will be issued until the policy is re-evaluated by the District.
Where an issued TUP is withdrawn or cancelled by the permit holder, this will open availability until the cap is reached again.
Currently, there are two spots available for STR Temporary Use Permits, according to the municipality.
All short-term rental operators in Squamish must have a business licence and include their licence number in all online listings and advertising, or they may be subject to fines up to $3,000 per offence.
The Squamish licensing program was adopted in November 2020 and implemented starting in 2021.
The provincial rules are similar, but allow one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit.
Stated goals
The stated goal of both regulations is to help protect long-term rental housing while allowing residents to earn additional income.
Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Ravi Kahlon, told The ¾¢±¬´ó¹Ï in an email that it is important to have these rules to ensure there is enough housing for people who want to live in their communities.
“To ensure more people can stay and thrive in the communities they love and help rein in the short-term rental market, we put rules in place to help balance tourism spaces while creating more long-term homes for residents,” he said.
“There are more than 22,000 short-term rental hosts with active listings in B.C. This is a reduction from the estimated 28,000 STRs when the legislation was introduced in 2023, indicating more short-term rentals are being converted to long-term homes that people need.
“We have been working with short-term rental platforms, the tourism industry and local governments to ensure that this program is helping achieve our goal of creating more homes for people, faster, and it’s making an impact. We are seeing rent prices stabilize, and even decrease in places like Vancouver, while long-term rental vacancy rates have risen in places like Squamish. While this is good progress, we know there is more work to do and we’re not slowing down until people can find good homes in communities they love.”
Ferguson says not only are the rules unlikely to achieve the stated goals for Squamish, but they are also punitive toward women and people with disabilities.
"They say people using Airbnb are the reason that there isn't enough housing, which isn't the reason. The reason is that they haven't been building [enough] low-cost housing," she said.
"They haven't done it. So then to suddenly turn around in the middle of a borderline recession, and say the onus is on homeowners who are already dying because of interest rates and can't pay their mortgages, to be the ones that have to provide low-cost accommodation for people," she said.
"I feel like this legislation is for workers and low-cost housing, and that's great, and I'm not wholly against that, but when it's being so punitive against a different sector of the population, which is maybe a middle-class homeowner sector of the population.... what the next step for me is, I have to sell and move out of Squamish?"
"I've kept saying that to the District, 'You're making it impossible for me to live here.'”
Ferguson also objects to the fact that the provincial regulations allow hosts to rent out their primary residence, plus a secondary unit.
"I want Squamish to have the same legislation as the rest of [the] government. I want them to have one primary unit plus one secondary dwelling," she said.
She would also like more flexibility within the system, rather than the current one-size-fits-all approach.
'I can't get another job'
In terms of how the rules particularly prejudice women and those with a disability, Ferguson says that it is a way for both groups to make money.
"I can't work in an office, I can't get another job. I'm unemployed. But the one thing I can do is I can look after my house and let out rooms, and that's an income, and I have a huge freaking mortgage," she noted.
Ferguson has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Historically, women have rented space to visitors as a way to make money, she notes.
And in 2025, there is still a that favours men.
When it comes to adults with ADHD, the says that they are 20% less likely to be employed and earn an average of 16% less than their counterparts.
For its part, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs said that the rules are meant to help find long-term housing for vulnerable groups of people.
“We know that women, racialized people, low and moderate-income people, Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities experience greater challenges finding housing they can afford, and efforts like this, which result in the return of more homes to the long-term housing market, are helping to ease these rental pressures,” said a spokesperson for the ministry.
'Rustic' cabins exempt?
Ferguson also said the setup and age of her rental cabin mean she could not flip it to have people live full-time.
It is bare bones, which is what many want to stay in on vacation, but not for a long-term home.
"I can't flip to be [a] normal long-term rental, because this is such an old property," she said.
She also has her parents come from England to stay in it a few times a year, further removing it from any long-term housing supply.
The provincial housing ministry rules state that seasonal or rustic cabins not meant for long-term housing do not fit the definition of a dwelling unit in the Short-Term Rentals Accommodation Act are not required to register. However, if a cabin includes cooking, bathroom, and sleeping facilities, it is considered a dwelling unit and must be registered.
A spokesperson for the provincial housing ministry also said that when vacancy rates are back at healthier levels in communities for a sustained period, the legislation enables local governments to choose whether to opt out from the principal residence requirement.
Unlike chain hotels, Ferguson says short-term rental hosts are people who employ other locals and return the money they earn to the community.
"I'm Airbnbing here ... I'm employing people, and it's mostly women in the community. It's additional income. It's secondary work. All the money that's coming to me is going back into the community. ... I'm shopping at the farmers' market or whatever it is. It's all staying in the community,” Ferguson said.
She also notes that Squamish doesn’t have a lot of hotel space to serve the people who are invited to the community.
Challenges with provincial registration process
Ferguson also takes issue with the process.
"They're just putting in more and more and more barriers," she said.
All short-term rental hosts in B.C. must register their rental on the provincial STR registry.
They will receive a provincial registration number that must be displayed on all online listings in B.C.
The provincial housing ministry has a dedicated Service BC line to support hosts with questions about how to register (1-833-828-2240) and a dedicated web page with additional information for STR hosts. However, Ferguson felt the process of registering her short-term rental was overwhelming, and she didn't finish it, though she has followed all the rules within Squamish.
"They just wanted so many bits of paperwork. I literally had to upload four bits of paperwork to prove this was my primary residence. I own this house. I am on the B.C. registry as the property owner, but I still had to find and upload two different types of like, proof that it was my primary residence," she said, as one example of the cumbersome process.
But hosts who do not comply have their listings taken down.
She has already had her listings removed from a popular booking site.
This means people who had reservations with her to stay, have had their booking cancelled.
She doesn't blame the companies, but rather the government.
"They have to cancel the reservation, and then they've got a million people they have to try and find three houses for so they're having to be preemptive," she said.
"What Airbnb is, is a software, a platform that is allowing homeowners to make a little bit of extra money to make ends meet."
Ultimately, she says she wants to continue to be a short-term rental host and thinks it benefits the community, without taking from the long-term rental pool.
"I love doing this. I get a huge amount of pleasure making the place nice, and having people come, and they're always so grateful," she said.
"I would say 50% of people who come here are young ... climbers and stuff. The other 50% are people's families. So people who live in an apartment downtown, and they can't put up their whole family, will come and stay here."
District emphasizes need for long-term rentals
District spokesperson Lilly Marie Peterson said that homeowners can earn income through long-term rental of their secondary suites and coach houses as well as through short-term rental of their principal residence or rooms within their principal residence.
She said that the District currently has a 0.7% rental vacancy rate, which is “well below what is considered healthy” and has “a critical need for more long-term rental units to serve the 30% of people who are renters in our community.”
There are other municipalities in B.C. that have the same principal residence requirement as the District, including the City of Vancouver, City of Victoria and the Town of Gibsons, she added.
In response to the assertion that the rules disadvantage women, the District’s Peterson restated that any person who owns or rents their principal residence, as long as the principal residence unit is not a secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit, is able to short-term rent their entire unit or rooms within their home as long as they are able to meet the business licensing requirements and obtain an STR licence.
“Also note that any person can also long-term rent their home, rooms within their home or their secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit; the District does not regulate this in any way,” she said.
‘Not a binary issue’
The Squamish Chamber of Commerce's position on the short-term rental issue is that a nuanced solution works best.
“Businesses need workers, and workers need a place to live,” said the chamber’s executive director, Anne Mackenzie, in an emailed statement.
“Affordable, accessible housing is critical to the long-term viability of our local economy—from frontline service providers to engineers, tradespeople, and remote professionals,” she said.
“At the same time, we recognize that [vacation rentals] also meet a genuine market need. With limited hotel inventory in Squamish, STRs play a role in supporting our visitor economy and providing flexible accommodation options that benefit not just tourists, but seasonal workers, travelling professionals, and visiting family members of residents,” she said, adding that the chamber also hears frustration from residents who are trying to responsibly rent part of their home to help cover mortgage costs “and feel caught between overlapping or misaligned regulations at the District and provincial levels.”
She suggested that better co-ordination, improved communication, and streamlined processes would go a long way in ensuring the rules are equitable, effective, and achievable for everyday homeowners.
“We also want to acknowledge the increasing financial pressures on families and small business owners alike. It’s important that policies strike a balance—protecting long-term housing stock while also ensuring homeowners aren’t penalized for trying to stay afloat in a high-cost community like Squamish,” she said.
“Ultimately, this is not a binary issue. It’s about finding a nuanced, balanced solution that reflects the interconnectedness of our housing market, workforce challenges, and tourism economy. The chamber will continue to advocate for clarity, flexibility, and long-term strategies that support both economic development and community well-being.”
'Squamish needs more visitor accommodation'
Regarding this issue, Tourism Squamish executive director Lesley Weeks, said the organization supports regulation of the short-term rental market to ensure traveller safety and to protect long-term housing stock.
“Research globally demonstrates that the main threat of STRs to local communities is when investors purchase housing units, such as condos and single-family homes, to operate them as short-term rentals instead of long-term residences,” Weeks said.
“These units are often professionally managed like hotels but without the start-up costs, services, and regulatory obligations that licensed hotels must meet. This is a well-documented challenge for popular tourism destinations if STRs are not overseen by governments with robust enforcement capacity, such as the province.”
Weeks said that the province’s current regulations “effectively address” this issue by requiring that only the principal residence of a host can be rented short-term, along with one accessory dwelling unit on the same property. Investment properties, including vacation homes, are excluded.
“In addition, the new provincial Short-Term Rental Registry improves transparency, enforcement, and compliance across communities. We support this approach and the evidence-based rationale behind it,” she added.
However, she took issue with the extra step by the District of Squamish of generally not allowing short-term rental of any secondary suite or accessory building, even when it is part of a host’s primary residence property.
“While there is a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) process that allows up to 30 permits for these types of rentals, it is complex, time-limited, and creates additional barriers for homeowners,” she said.
“We believe this approach does more harm than good. Our research has not found evidence that allowing homeowners to rent part of their own homes meaningfully affects long-term housing supply. In our 2022 survey of STR operators, many indicated they would not rent these spaces long-term even if prevented from offering them short-term. Instead, these units often remain empty, become storage or office space, are reserved for family, or are sold altogether,” she added.
“At the same time, this policy penalizes local residents who rely on supplemental income to remain in Squamish, whether that is a pensioner managing rising living costs or a working family seeking to make their mortgage viable.
It also constrains our visitor economy at a time when accommodation demand is regularly exceeding supply. During peak periods, hotel occupancy routinely surpasses 90 percent, making it extremely difficult to secure rooms.”
Weeks said that a quick online Expedia search for the July 12 to 13 weekend showed only two properties in Squamish with limited availability remaining.
“This shortage affects not only leisure travel but also business meetings, weddings, and other events that bring significant spending to our community,” she said.
“Squamish needs more visitor accommodation and balanced STR regulations. The provincial framework, supported by the new registry, strikes that balance effectively. We encourage the District to align local policy with the province’s approach and remove the ban on short-term rentals in secondary suites and carriage houses.
In addition, planning for a broader mix of visitor accommodations, including more hotels, campgrounds, and other flexible lodging, will help meet demand in a way that benefits both residents and the local economy.”
District shares concerns
Asked about evidence that the District’s current short-term rental policy is working, Peterson said that there is annual monitoring and evaluation and the .
Licensing compliance has increased every year and is currently around 75 %, meaning that is the percentage of all known STR units in the District that have obtained a business licence, according to Peterson.
She said it is “very challenging” to isolate the impact of STR regulations and enforcement on the long-term market.
“Other factors such as population growth and in-migration, general housing market factors—supply and demand—and other employment and economic factors all influence the long-term rental market.”
She said that the number of short-term rental units in Squamish peaked in 2019 at over 500 units and have decreased to less than 190 as of June 2025.
“The current STR regulations and proactive enforcement of these regulations protect the District’s existing supply of long-term rental units from being converted to short-term rental,” she said, adding that there are 1,230 known suites, 150 accessory dwelling units, and thousands of non-principal resident dwelling units, such as investment units and second/vacation homes.
In terms of not having the room space for the tourists the community depends on economically,
Peterson said that the District shares concerns about the inadequate amount of tourist accommodation, including hotels and other forms of accommodation, and the impact this has on the tourism sector.
She noted that the District has zoned several areas and specific properties in town for tourist accommodation development by the private sector.
“However, Squamish is in critical need of more housing across the spectrum and the District places a high priority on actions that will deliver this housing to the community for residents."
Ultimately, Peterson said short-term regulations are not a guaranteed solution to solve Squamish’s affordable housing issues.
“But they do contribute to protecting existing long-term rental opportunity and stemming the conversion of long-term rental units to short-term rental,” she said.
“Many factors—including impacts to tourism—were considered in landing on a regulatory approach. Priority was given to protecting Squamish’s supply of long-term rentals and putting housing for the community first, ahead of places for tourists to stay. This was a key trade-off, as long-term rental is often in direct competition with short-term rental over the same units, inherently and unfortunately pitting housing against tourism. The District’s STR regulations prioritize preservation of the community’s rental housing stock in support of providing citizens with access to stable, affordable housing.”
