Maple Ridge’s new short-term rental program sees steady uptake in first year, despite tougher rules

The City of Maple Ridge received nearly 100 applications for short-term rental (STR) use in the first year under a new bylaw, a moderate uptick despite the much stricter new regulatory framework.

Staff said the impacts were “minimal,” and recommended no changes to the system.

“Inquiries were quite high when the adoption took place, and then held steady throughout the rest of the year,” said Annie Slater-Kinghorn, community planner with the city.

A report presented to the April 7 council committee provided the one-year uptake stats since the new bylaw was formally adopted in April 2025 to regulate platforms like Airbnb while maintaining housing as primarily residential.

Of the some 98 applications received, 49 licences were approved, 25 remain under review, and 24 were either withdrawn or rejected.

Approved licences were largely concentrated in secondary suites and room rentals, with seven issued for entire-home rentals, 23 for secondary suites, and 19 for individual room rentals. 

City staff said the program has functioned as intended, balancing opportunities for homeowners to generate income with efforts to limit impacts on neighbourhoods.

Maple Ridge’s regulations include several restrictions aimed at mitigating issues such as parking, noise and nuisance complaints. These include a requirement that rentals be operated within a principal residence, a maximum of six guests per listing, and one off-street parking space per unit. 

Short-term rentals are also limited to certain housing types – such as single-detached homes, duplexes and suites – and are not permitted in apartments or townhouses.

A minimum lot size of 371 square metres has also proven to be a limiting factor. Staff reported more than 20 inquiries from property owners whose homes fell below that threshold and were therefore ineligible. 

Applications were rejected for a variety of reasons, including non-compliance with the lot size requirement and incomplete submissions. Others were voluntarily withdrawn, often because applicants did not want to undertake upgrades needed to meet bylaw requirements or were no longer interested in operating a rental.

To support implementation, the city held more than 25 information sessions with potential applicants in the first year. Staff also developed an operator guide and provided ongoing support at city counters to help residents navigate the new rules.

The program aligns with provincial legislation, including the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, which now requires all operators to register with a provincial registry as of Jan. 1, 2026, according to staff.

B.C. introduced the legislation in late 2023, leading to a new provincewide system that significantly tightens rules on short-term rentals, primarily by requiring them to be operated only within a host’s principal residence, plus at most one secondary suite or accessory unit. 

The legislation also created a provincial registry, strengthened enforcement (including higher fines and platform accountability), and aims to return more housing units to the long-term rental market while still allowing limited short-term rental activity.

Despite some limitations on eligibility, Maple Ridge staff recommended council maintain the current framework for another year to allow for more data collection.

Future changes could include expanding eligibility to additional housing types such as townhouses or apartments, but staff say any such consideration will come after further review.

The city is also exploring broader tourism-related policies, including eco-tourism and agri-tourism initiatives, as part of its long-term planning work.

“I appreciate the update, I think it’s really important whenever we implement something new that we ask are we on the right path? Are there any tweaks that we need to make?” said Coun. Korleen Carreras. “I think that’s really important moving forward.”