Eby takes action to turn short-term rentals into housing as Falcon sides with real estate investors (again)
Today, David Eby’s bill to turn standalone short-term vacation rentals like Airbnbs into homes for people passed the legislature, with Kevin Falcon’s BCUP voting against.
Falcon’s MLAs spent much of the week attempting to create loopholes in Eby’s Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, including with an amendment that would allow investors to have second properties purely for the purpose of running short-term rentals. Those amendments were defeated by BC NDP MLAs and the bill passed minutes ago in its original form.
“Investors with multiple properties are taking homes off the market and making big profits in the short-term rental industry while driving up costs for everyone else,” said BC NDP Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, who introduced the bill. “That’s why David Eby is taking action to turn those vacation rentals into long-term homes for people.”
Falcon’s opposition to the bill is the latest in a pattern of opposing BC NDP actions to improve housing affordability. Falcon opposes the speculation tax, the cap on rent increases, and he voted against legislation to set housing supply targets in municipalities.
“Again and again, Kevin Falcon sides with real estate investors and speculators over regular people looking for a home they can afford,” said Kahlon. “It’s clear that he would let speculators drive housing costs even higher for people, just like he did before.”
More information on the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act is available here.