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Over the past decade, there has been rapid growth in online marketplaces that connect people seeking short-term accommodation with people who want to make their homes available for short-term rentals (STRs). Airbnb is the most successful and well-known STR platform, with over 6000 active listings in Vancouver as of December 2019 (Inside Airbnb, 2020). According to a 2017 study, if Airbnb were a hotel, it would be Vancouver’s single largest hotel (Gurran & Phibbs, 2017). 

 

But at the same time as Airbnb’s business has thrived, Vancouver has been wrestling with a housing crisis. Housing costs have risen dramatically, far outpacing residents’ income. As a result, low- and moderate-income households are struggling to secure long-term housing, and many people are confronting the possibility that they cannot afford to remain in the city where they live and work (Housing Vancouver, 2019). 

 

Policy-makers, housing advocates and community members alike have raised concerns about the impact of platforms like Airbnb on the cost and availability of long-term rental housing. In an effort to regulate the industry and protect the long-term housing supply, the City of Vancouver enacted policy measures in April 2018 requiring short-term rental providers, including those operating on Airbnb, to obtain a business license in order to rent out properties (Housing Vancouver, 2019).

 

Below, we share visualizations and infographics illustrating what we know about Vancouver’s housing crisis, in addition to the growth and distribution of Airbnb short term rentals throughout the city. Our goal is to encourage investigation of how Airbnb is being used in Vancouver to compete with the residential housing market.

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Explore by Neighbourhood: Housing Affordability and Income

Below are two interactive maps visualizing housing affordability and median income in Vancouver by neighbourhood. Use the menu toggles on the right to compare how affordability disproportionately impacts renters vs. home owning households. Notice as well the correlations between neighbourhoods where renters are especially strained by housing costs - like Strathcona and Oakridge - and their median income; these suggest a lack of affordable housing options for low-income renters and within their neighbourhoods. 

Visualizing Airbnb Activity across Vancouver

The linked visualizations below are designed to allow Vancouver residents and other interested parties to explore how Airbnb is operating across the city. Some questions they can help you to explore include:

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  1. Which Vancouver neighbourhoods have the highest number of Airbnb listings?

  2. How many Airbnb listings are in my neighbourhood and where are they?

  3. How many houses and apartments are being rented out frequently to tourists and not to long-term residents?

  4. How much money are Airbnb hosts making from renting to tourists?

  5. Has the City of Vancouver's short-term rental legislation, introduced in April 2018, resulted in a decline in Airbnb activity?

  6. How has Airbnb activity been affected since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic?

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The interactive filters can help you to focus on different aspects of the data. Some tips on using these filters:

  • Availability: Some Airbnb hosts limit their listing so that it is only available for a few days or weeks per year. Other listings are available year-round (except when they're booked). Listings with a low number of available days per year could indicate that they are frequently rented.

  • Rental Type + Availability: Entire homes or apartments that have high availability are less likely to have an owner who lives on the property.

  • Minimum Night Stay: Hosts can choose to enforce a minimum night stay for visitors renting their properties. Unusually long minimums are one factor that could indicate hosts are renting to tourists full time.

Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading

Project Data Sources

Cox, M. & Morris, J. (n.d.) About Inside Airbnb. Retrieved from: http://insideairbnb.com/about.html

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City of Vancouver. (2020). Open Data Portal. Retrieved from: https://opendata.vancouver.ca/pages/home/

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Housing Vancouver. (2019). Short-Term Rental Highlight Report. Retrieved from the City of Vancouver website: https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/short-term-rental-highlights-report.pdf

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Housing Vancouver. (2019). Housing Vancouver Strategy Annual Progress Report and Data Book 2019. Retrieved from the City of Vancouver website: https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/2019-housing-vancouver-annual-progress-report-and-data-book.pdf

Further Reading

Gurran, N. & Phibbs, P. (2017). When Tourists Move In: How Should Urban Planners Respond
to Airbnb? Journal of the American Planning Association 83(1). https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1080/01944363.2016.1249011

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Leshinsky, R. & Schatz, L. (2018). “I Don’t Think My Landlord Will Find Out:” Airbnb and the Challenges of Enforcement. Urban Policy and Research, 36(4), 417-428, https://doi.org/10.1080/08111146.2018.1429260

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Sawatzky, K. (2016). Short-term Consequences: Investigating the Extent, Nature and Rental Housing Implications of Airbnb Listings in Vancouver (Master’s Thesis, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC). Retrieved from: https://summit.sfu.ca/item/16841

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Vancouver Tenants Union. (n.d.) Vancouver Tenants Union. https://www.vancouvertenantsunion.ca/

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