The Village of Pemberton (VOP) is looking to reduce a long-stagnant short-term vacation rental (STVR) business licence wait list to boost the number of long-term rental properties on the market. Council discussed a bylaw amendment restricting STVR business licences to two years in areas where a wait-list is already in effect during an April 15 Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting.
“We were looking for something to manage those wait lists that never changed… nobody ever gets off a wait list,” said the Village’s manager of corporate and legislative services, Gwendolyn Kennedy, during the meeting.
B.C. introduced the Short Term Rental Act in 2023. The legislation aims to return homes to the rental market by limiting short-term rentals to a host’s principal residence and, in some case, one additional unit. The ultimate goal is to reduce the prevalence of short-term rentals and increase the availability of long-term rentals.
Under the Act, “short-term vacation rental” refers to renting out a furnished room, suite, home, apartment, cabin or condo for a short-term stay—a period of less than 90 days at a time. The bylaw proposed by the Village excludes home exchanges (also known as home swaps).
Pemberton’s current bylaw governing STVR mandates that the number of short-term vacation rental licenses available in a calendar year cannot exceed five per cent of the total number of single-family dwelling units located in each of Pemberton’s neighbourhoods, resulting in a wait list for select neighbourhoods.
While a Pemberton business license is only valid for a year, businesses can renew it annually. This new bylaw would amend the Village’s business licence bylaw to implement a two-year limit on STVRs—or single licence renewal—before owners would be placed back on their neighbourhood’s wait list.
As of Jan. 21, there were 29 homeowners on the Village's STVR wait-list.
The new bylaw presented to council also includes a stipulation that says an STVR can apply to be placed back on the wait list three months prior to the licence’s expiry.
Increasing turnover
The wait list isn’t public, but residents can call and ask where they sit on it. Kennedy noted “for the first couple years [the public] did call us quite frequently and asked where they were on the list.
“But because the lists have become stale with no turnover, people haven’t even been bothering to put themselves on the wait list,” she added.
Councillor Katrina Nightingale asked whether residents had to take a break from STVR licence if their community had no wait list. Kennedy said no, they can just renew, citing the Sunstone neighbourhood’s lack of wait list as an example.
Nightingale expressed concern that, with a higher turnover on the wait lists all but guaranteed, some potential STVR licences might just wait for their turn rather than enter the long-term market.
“I thought ... proposing two years was a good choice, because maybe one year, people would be more likely to wait it out,” responded Kennedy. “But with two years, I think there's plenty of time to find a renter, sign a year lease, [and] let them know that you're hoping that it'll only be one and a half years or two years before you get back into [the market].”
Once finalized, the bylaw will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Existing businesses will be permitted to renew their licences in 2026 and 2027.
Mayor Mike Richman proposed bringing the amended business licence bylaw back to council for consideration a year from adoption to consider the degree to which it helped boost long-term rentals.
The bylaw also includes a note that properties that opt-in must prominently display a decal on their property noting the business’ status as an STVR.
Council motioned to direct staff to prepare a revised bylaw considering the feedback from the day, bring it back to council for passage at a future meeting, and that staff advertise the future consideration to the public.
