Richmond has seen a decrease in the number of complaints and tickets issued for short-term rentals so far in 2024 compared to last year.
A total of 108 calls about short-term rental violations were made to the city's bylaw department from January to April, with 26 calls made in April alone, according to a City of Richmond staff report for the community safety committee meeting on June 11.
This marks a 35-per cent decrease from 2023, when 166 complaints were received between January and April.
The number of bylaw tickets issued for short-term rental offences jumped from 27 in March to 61 in April, adding up to a total of 181 tickets so far in 2024. Short-term rental offences continue to make up the majority of non-parking-related bylaw tickets.
During the same period last year, a total of 203 bylaw tickets were issued for short-term rental offences.
Since last month, short-term rental hosts in Richmond have been required by B.C.'s Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act to display a valid business licence number on their listing.
However, a cursory search of Airbnb listings in Richmond on June 11 still shows properties that have yet to disclose the information.
The province's measures follow Richmond's crackdown on illegal Airbnbs last year by hiring temporary full-time officers to handle complaints from community members and proactively generate files.
According to the staff report, rental operators often receive "multiple violation notices" upon inspection and most cases are resolved by voluntarily removing listings, obtaining business licences and paying fines.
"When there is a repeated and/or significant history of violations, staff will seek a resolution via long-form prosecution in provincial court," reads the report.
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