Short-Term Rental Rules in Burnaby: What Airbnb Investors Can Do in 2026

I get some version of the same question every few weeks: "Can I buy a condo in Burnaby and just Airbnb it?" A few years ago the honest answer was yes, if you didn't mind the work. Today the honest answer is almost always no, and I'd rather tell you that before you write an offer than after.

Short-term rentals in Burnaby are governed by three separate sets of rules at once, and you have to clear all three, not just one. Miss any layer and the fines start stacking fast.

Three layers of rules, and you need to pass all of them

Think of it like three locks on the same door. The province sets the outer lock, the city sets the middle one, and your strata (if you're buying a condo or townhouse) can add its own lock on top, one the other two don't control at all.

• Province of BC: the Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act (STRAA)
• City of Burnaby: a business licence program with its own, tighter rules
• Your strata corporation: bylaws that can restrict or ban short-term rentals outright, regardless of what the city or province allow

I'll walk through each one.

The provincial rule: BC's principal residence requirement

BC's Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act brought in a principal residence requirement that took effect May 1, 2024. In municipalities with a population over 10,000, which includes Burnaby, a short-term rental (a stay under 90 consecutive days) is only allowed in the host's own principal residence, plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property. You cannot use the provincial rule to run an Airbnb out of a condo you don't actually live in.

On top of that, since May 1, 2025, every short-term rental host and platform in BC must carry a provincial registration number, and platforms are required to remove listings that don't comply with local business licence rules. Registration runs $100 a year for an owner-occupied listing and $450 a year for a non-owner-occupied one, though the higher tier mostly applies outside principal-residence areas like Burnaby.

Burnaby's business licence: stricter than the province in one key way

Burnaby introduced its own short-term rental program on August 1, 2022, well before the provincial law existed, and the city's rules are tighter than the province's in a way that trips people up.

You need a business licence to operate at all. That licence is only granted for your principal residence, and here's the part investors miss: unlike the province, which allows one secondary suite or laneway home as an extra listing, Burnaby does not extend a short-term rental licence to secondary suites, laneway homes, or other accessory buildings. If it's a rental unit, it's off the table for short-term use in Burnaby, full stop.

The city also caps how much you can rent. You get up to 90 nights a year total, and of those, no more than 28 nights can be your entire home while you're away. The rest has to be a room in a home where you're actually staying. Guest counts are capped too, at four unrelated guests or six people from the same family at one time. Tenants cannot apply for a licence, even with the landlord's blessing, and if you own a condo, you'll need a signed permission letter from your strata council before the city will even process your application.

Strata bylaws: the layer that can override everything

This is the one buyers forget to check, and it matters more than either of the rules above. Under the Strata Property Act, a strata corporation can pass a bylaw restricting or banning short-term rentals with a 3/4 vote of owners, and strata fines for breaking that bylaw can run up to $1,000 a day. That's separate from anything the city or province can fine you.

People sometimes confuse this with Bill 44, the 2022 change that stopped stratas from banning long-term rentals. Bill 44 does not touch short-term rentals. Stratas kept full authority to restrict or ban them, and a lot of Burnaby buildings have done exactly that since Airbnb first became common. If a building's bylaws ban short-term rentals, following the city's and the province's rules perfectly still doesn't help you. The strata bylaw wins.

This is why I pull the strata bylaws and the last two years of council minutes for every condo buyer before we write an offer, the same as I do for financial health. It tells you what you're actually allowed to do with the unit, not just what you assume.

Why "buy a condo purely for Airbnb" usually doesn't pencil out in 2026

Put the three layers together and the classic model, buy a condo you don't live in and run it as a full-time Airbnb, is essentially closed in Burnaby. The provincial and city rules both require it to be your actual home. A pure investment condo can't qualify for a licence at all.

Even for an owner who does live there and wants to rent occasionally, the numbers are tight: 90 nights a year, capped guest counts, a business licence fee, and a strata bylaw that might ban it entirely. Add up the municipal fines (tickets can run up to $3,000 per infraction, per day, under the province's updated bylaw enforcement rules), potential provincial penalties, and strata fines of up to $1,000 a day, and the downside for getting it wrong is severe.

If your goal is rental income rather than a place to live, a long-term rental almost always makes more sense in this market. Buildings near SkyTrain in areas like Metrotown or Brentwood tend to have strong, steady long-term tenant demand, and you avoid all three layers of short-term rental risk entirely.

What can actually work

• Living in the unit and renting a spare room within the 90-night cap, with a Burnaby business licence and (if it's a strata unit) written strata permission. This is the model the rules were built around.
• Renting your whole home while you travel, up to 28 of your 90 nights a year, same licence and strata conditions.
• Buying to hold as a long-term rental instead of chasing short-term income, especially in transit-connected neighbourhoods where tenant demand is consistent.

What doesn't work anymore is buying a condo purely as an Airbnb investment and hoping nobody checks.

Key Takeaways

• Burnaby short-term rentals must clear three separate rule sets: BC's Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, the City of Burnaby's business licence program, and your strata's own bylaws.
• BC's principal residence requirement (effective May 1, 2024) applies to Burnaby and limits short-term rentals to a host's actual home, plus one secondary suite on the same property.
• Burnaby's rules are stricter than the province's: no short-term licences for secondary suites or laneway homes, a 90-night annual cap, and no eligibility for tenants.
• Strata bylaws can ban short-term rentals outright, independent of city or provincial rules, with fines up to $1,000 a day for violations.
• Buying a condo purely for Airbnb income rarely works in Burnaby in 2026; a long-term rental strategy is usually the safer and more profitable path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still run an Airbnb in my Burnaby condo in 2026?

Only if it's your principal residence, your strata allows short-term rentals, and you hold a Burnaby business licence. You're capped at 90 nights a year, with a maximum of 28 nights for renting your whole home while away.

Does BC's principal residence rule apply to Burnaby?

Yes. Burnaby's population is well over the 10,000-person threshold set by BC's Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act, so the principal residence requirement has applied here since May 1, 2024.

Can my strata ban short-term rentals even if I follow the city and provincial rules?

Yes. Strata corporations can pass a bylaw banning or restricting short-term rentals with a 3/4 owner vote, and that bylaw applies regardless of what the city or province allow. Fines for breaking it can reach $1,000 a day.

Is buying a condo purely for Airbnb income a good strategy in Burnaby right now?

Generally no. Provincial and city rules both require the unit to be your principal residence, so a pure investment condo can't get a short-term rental licence at all. A long-term rental strategy is usually the more realistic path to income.

This article is one leg of the Burnaby investment property guide, which ties together the yield math, buy-vs-build strategy, landlord rules, and suite economics in one place.

Sources

• Province of BC: Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act legislation overview: effective dates, registry requirement, fine limits.
• Province of BC: Principal residence requirement: which communities the rule applies to, exemptions.
• City of Burnaby: Short-Term Rentals program: business licence rules, night caps, eligibility.
• Province of BC: Strata short-term rental bylaws: strata bylaw authority and fine limits.

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If you're weighing an Airbnb strategy against a long-term rental hold in Burnaby, let's run the real numbers together before you commit to either one. I can walk you through what a specific building's strata bylaws allow and what the rental math looks like both ways.

Start with a no-obligation valuation if you're deciding whether to buy or sell, or reach out directly to talk through your options. You can also call or text me at 778-991-0051.

Jersey Li, The Apartment Guy® · Medallion Club Member (Top 10% REALTOR®, 2024 & 2025) · Jersey Li Personal Real Estate Corporation, Sutton Group - 1st West Realty.