Vancouver imposes sharp curbs on Airbnb, homesharing sites

Vancouver

THE Canadian city of Vancouver passed new rules on Tuesday banning homeowners from renting out certain kinds of property on short-term rental websites such as Airbnb, as part of an attempt to deal with a housing shortage that has led to soaring rents.

Homeowners will not be allowed to list homes that are unoccupied in the long term, entire condos, or secondary suites - self-contained dwellings within a house or on the same grounds as the main property.