Bill 35 and Its Impact on BC Strata Corporations.

Bill 35 (officially the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, 2023) is the most consequential piece of housing legislation BC has passed in years. For strata corporations, it didn't replace existing bylaw powers. It added a parallel enforcement system that, in practice, dramatically reduces the burden on individual stratas.

What Bill 35 actually does

Three core provisions: (1) principal residence requirement: in most BC communities over 10,000 people, short-term rentals (under 30 days) are restricted to the host's principal residence; (2) provincial registry: all hosts and platforms must be registered with the Province as of May 1, 2025, and platforms must validate registration numbers; (3) provincial enforcement unit: a dedicated compliance unit can investigate, audit hosts, and impose fines.

What stayed the same for strata corporations

The Strata Property Act amendments confirmed (and arguably strengthened) the existing rules: a strata corporation may pass a bylaw restricting or banning short-term rentals (under 30 days); such a bylaw may impose fines of up to $1,000 per day per contravention; long-term rental restrictions are largely unenforceable for new bylaws (some grandfathered ones survive); strata bylaws on rentals can be enforced through the corporation's normal warning → hearing → fine pathway.

What this changes in practice

Pre-2024, when an owner started running an Airbnb in violation of the strata's bylaws, the council had one tool: enforce the bylaw. Each enforcement action cost the corporation legal time and council energy. Post-2024, the council has a second tool: report the listing to the Province, which can impose its own penalties and require platforms to deactivate non-compliant listings.

For most stratas, the practical change is that publicly visible non-compliant rentals don't last as long.

How to draft a short-term rental bylaw that holds up

Modern best practice: define short-term rentals clearly ("less than 30 days"); state the consequence specifically ("$500 per day"); address platforms specifically (Airbnb, VRBO, "any similar platform"); include enforcement procedure; don't try to ban long-term rentals (post-2022 SPA changes make this unenforceable).

For the bylaw amendment process itself, see our step-by-step guide to updating strata bylaws.

Enforcement: the practical playbook

1. Document (screenshots, dates, prices, unit identification, check-in/out activity)
2. Report to the Province (provincial short-term rental compliance unit)
3. Issue a strata warning letter referencing the specific bylaw
4. Hold the hearing if requested (within 4 weeks under section 34.1)
5. Decide on the fine, document in council minutes
6. Collect (unpaid fines added to owner's account, ultimately enforceable through lien)

What's coming next

The Province has signalled additional rounds of strata legislation. As of early 2026, BCREA and several other organizations have called for a full legislative review of the Strata Property Act.

The guide to BC strata legislation tracks the current state.