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What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?
Short-term rentals like Airbnb are the rental of a residential home – or one or more rooms within it – for a short period of time. Short-term rentals are different from traditional Bed & Breakfasts because they usually involve the rental of an entire home (not just a room), and the host often isn't there.
Context
Short-term rentals are currently prohibited in Esquimalt unless you get special rezoning and can comply with legacy “Bed and Breakfast” regulations.
Right now, only 6 properties have this special B&B zoning, with two active business licenses. Despite this prohibition, there are dozens of local short-term rental listings on Airbnb, VRBO, etc.
Meanwhile, the Province of B.C. has its own restrictions on short-term rentals, designed to protect housing availability and affordability.
In this context, the Township is working to update its bylaws to better reflect the nature of modern short-term rentals, and make it easier to legally operate, while staying within the bounds of provincial legislation.
As a first step, we’d like to better understand resident and business views on the potential impacts of short-term rentals like Airbnb – both positive and negative.
Your feedback will inform a "Short-Term Rental Options Report" that will go to Council in early 2026, with opportunities to provide additional input.
Collecting your feedback
We are holding an open house on November 26 (3-7PM at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre) and have included a short survey on this project page. The survey will ask residents and businesses their thoughts on the potential impacts of short-term rentals in Esquimalt.
The survey will be open from November 19 to December 17.
What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?
Short-term rentals like Airbnb are the rental of a residential home – or one or more rooms within it – for a short period of time. Short-term rentals are different from traditional Bed & Breakfasts because they usually involve the rental of an entire home (not just a room), and the host often isn't there.
Context
Short-term rentals are currently prohibited in Esquimalt unless you get special rezoning and can comply with legacy “Bed and Breakfast” regulations.
Right now, only 6 properties have this special B&B zoning, with two active business licenses. Despite this prohibition, there are dozens of local short-term rental listings on Airbnb, VRBO, etc.
Meanwhile, the Province of B.C. has its own restrictions on short-term rentals, designed to protect housing availability and affordability.
In this context, the Township is working to update its bylaws to better reflect the nature of modern short-term rentals, and make it easier to legally operate, while staying within the bounds of provincial legislation.
As a first step, we’d like to better understand resident and business views on the potential impacts of short-term rentals like Airbnb – both positive and negative.
Your feedback will inform a "Short-Term Rental Options Report" that will go to Council in early 2026, with opportunities to provide additional input.
Collecting your feedback
We are holding an open house on November 26 (3-7PM at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre) and have included a short survey on this project page. The survey will ask residents and businesses their thoughts on the potential impacts of short-term rentals in Esquimalt.
The survey will be open from November 19 to December 17.
Share Short-term rental survey on FacebookShare Short-term rental survey on TwitterShare Short-term rental survey on LinkedinEmail Short-term rental survey link
What is a Short-Term Rental (STR)?