VANCOUVER, B.C. — Green Councillor Pete Fry has introduced a motion aimed at strengthening tenant protections by introducing new conditions on business licenses for multi-tenant landlords in Vancouver, in an effort to address increasing instances of exploitative practices by a minority but growing number of bad landlord companies.

The motion responds to growing concerns about unsafe conditions, harassment, bad-faith evictions, and unlawful short-term rental activity by a small number of large and corporate landlords, while ensuring responsible landlords are not penalized.

“I’ve witnessed increasing occurrences by a small number of unethical landlords exploiting the gaps between the City’s Standards of Maintenance and Licensing By-Laws and the Province’s Residential Tenancy Act,” explains Fry. “When I see bad faith evictions to convert homes to Airbnbs, or apartments subdivided with particle board partitions to create micro living units that our enforcement seems unable to stop, it's clear we need some new tools.” 

The motion, endorsed by the City of Vancouver's Renters Advisory Committee, directs City staff to report back on lawful amendments to Vancouver’s Licence By-law that would:

• Create Business Licence conditions for landlords operating multiple rental units
• Tie licence renewal to compliance with City standards and provincial tenancy law
• Require disclosure of ownership and property management information to improve transparency and accountability
• Mandate visible posting of landlord licence and contact information in rental buildings
• Enable fines, licence suspension, or revocation for repeated violations
• Target unlawful short-term rental activity in multi-tenant apartment buildings
• Leverage new provincial authority to apply stronger municipal penalties

“Most landlords do the right thing, but when bad actors exploit gaps and loopholes, we need new tools to enforce rules and protect tenants” said Councillor Fry. “This motion seeks to add conditions to the businesses we license in our city, to protect renters, improve transparency, and hold repeat offenders accountable.”

The motion asks staff to report back with changes to Vancouver’s license by-law calls for coordination with provincial agencies, exploration of proactive enforcement strategies, and engagement with tenant advocates, housing providers, landlord associations, and privacy experts before recommendations return to Council.