Airbnb has pulled more than 100 Vancouver listings from its website saying they are commercial operators and violate their standards.
In a statement to Global News, the company’s Alexandra Dagg said in the last month, Airbnb has proactively removed more than 130 listings in Vancouver that it believes to be commercial operators, that “do not meet the standards and priorities of our community, nor the guest experience we seek to provide.”
“We look forward to continuing to share data and information about our community and to working collaboratively with Mayor Gregor Robertson, Vancouver city staff and all of Vancouver City Council,” said Dagg. “We believe we can partner with the city to develop fair, easy-to-follow home-sharing regulations that address key priorities for the city, including any unwelcome commercial operators.”
In September, the City of Vancouver proposed licencing short-term rentals, including Airbnb, to help boost long-term rental supply in the city with an alarmingly low vacancy rate.
READ MORE: Some Vancouver stratas aim to crack down on short-term rental sites like Airbnb
The city wants to introduce a new business licence for short-term rentals, which, it says, will “legalize” approximately 50 per cent of the current short-term rentals available in Vancouver and potentially add over 1,000 homes back into rental market.
Under the proposal, a licence number will have to be posted on any advertisement for a short-term listing. Licences will also be public, so neighbours will know if a listing is legitimate.
The final decision is not expected until early in the new year.