What a BC short-term rental agreement is for
Booking platforms give hosts a standard set of terms, but they say nothing about your actual home: how many people can sleep there, whether the hot tub has rules, where guests may park, what the strata will fine you for, and what happens to the damage deposit. When you take bookings directly, by email or through your own website, there are no platform terms at all, and a written agreement is the only thing standing between a pleasant stay and an argument about a broken window or a cancelled week.
This template gives British Columbia hosts a complete guest agreement that reflects the province's short-term rental framework: the registration number and business licence on every booking, the principal residence limits, PST and MRDT, and the strata fines that can follow a guest's party. It comes with printable house rules for the kitchen counter, a check-in sheet, an inventory checklist and a damage deposit statement, so the whole stay is documented from booking to refund.
When to use it
Use it for every direct booking, for stays booked through a platform where you want guests to sign your own house rules, and for higher-value homes or larger groups where a clear damage deposit and occupancy limit matter most. It suits hosts renting their whole home while away, rooms in their home, or a basement suite or laneway house on their property.
It is not a tenancy agreement. If someone wants to rent for several months as their home, use a residential tenancy agreement under the Residential Tenancy Act instead. It is also not a substitute for registering with the province or getting a business licence where your local government requires one.
What's inside
The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.
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Host and registration
- Host name and contact
- Provincial registration number
- Local business licence number
- Type of unit
- 24-hour emergency contact
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Property
- Address
- Description
- Parking
- Shared areas
-
Guests and stay
- Lead guest
- Other guests and children
- Check-in and check-out
- Nights
- Maximum occupancy
- Vehicles
- Pets
-
Price and payment
- Nightly rate
- Cleaning fee
- Pet fee
- PST and MRDT
- Total
- Damage deposit
- Payment schedule
- Deposit return
-
Cancellation
- Guest cancellation tiers
- Host cancellation and events beyond control
-
Use of the property
- Private accommodation only
- Parties
- Quiet hours
- Smoking and vaping
- Open flames and fire bans
- No re-listing
- Strata or building rules and fines
-
Damage, loss and extra cleaning
- Responsibility
- Reporting
- Deductions
- Balance over the deposit
-
Access, privacy and cameras
- Host entry
- No interior cameras
- Exterior camera locations
- Personal information
-
Safety
- Smoke and CO alarms
- Extinguisher and first aid
- Pools
- hot tubs and equipment
- Emergency information
-
Ending the stay early, liability and signatures
- Serious breach
- Refund and deposit
- Insurance
- Belongings
- Signatures
-
House Rules
- Check-in and check-out
- Registration number
- Guests and noise
- Smoking and fire
- Pets
- Parking and garbage
- Strata rules
- Before you leave
-
Check-In Information
- Directions
- Access code
- Wi-Fi
- Heating
- Appliances
- Shut-offs
- Safety equipment
- Exits
- Hospital
- Host contact
- Local information
-
Inventory and Condition Checklist
- Room-by-room condition before and after
- Photo references
-
Damage Deposit Statement
- Itemized deductions
- Photos
- Refund amount and date
Preview pages
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Page 1 -
Page 2 -
Page 3
How to fill in the agreement
- Enter your registration details. Add your provincial registration number and any local business licence number exactly as they appear on your approvals, and choose the type of unit.
- Describe the property and its limits. Note the sleeping capacity, parking and any areas shared with you or other guests.
- Record the guests and dates. Name the lead guest and everyone staying, set the maximum overnight guests, and confirm check-in and check-out times.
- Set the price. List the nightly rate, cleaning and pet fees, and the taxes you collect directly, if any. Set the damage deposit and payment schedule.
- Choose the cancellation policy. Use the tiered policy or write your own, and keep the clause that refunds guests if the property becomes unsafe or unavailable.
- Attach strata rules if they apply. Tick the strata option and attach the bylaws and rules guests must follow.
- Complete the safety and privacy sections. State where the extinguisher and first aid kit are, and disclose every exterior camera location.
- Customize the House Rules and Check-In Information. Fill in quiet hours, garbage day, parking spaces and appliance instructions. Print the House Rules for the unit.
- Sign before arrival, and inspect after. Have the lead guest sign before check-in, complete the inventory checklist before and after the stay, and use the Damage Deposit Statement for any deductions.
Example: a completed booking excerpt
A fictional host, Priya Nair, rents the garden suite of her Victoria home to a family of four for a week in July:
Type of unit: Secondary suite on host's principal residence property. Provincial short-term rental registration number: H-1234-5678 (fictional). Check-in: Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. Check-out: Saturday, July 18, 2026, by 11:00 a.m. Number of nights: 7. Nightly rate × 7 nights: $1,295. Cleaning fee: $120. Subtotal: $1,415. Damage deposit: $500, returned within 7 days after check-out.
Because the guests booked directly through Priya's website, no platform collected tax on this stay, so she has to work out the PST and any MRDT that apply to direct bookings and show them on the agreement. The suite is the one secondary unit she is allowed to rent under the principal residence requirement, and its registration fee is $450 a year, compared with $100 for her own home.
British Columbia rules to know
These are the BC rules this agreement reflects. Local bylaws, strata bylaws and platform terms can add requirements.
- Registration (Short-Term Rental Accommodations Act). Hosts must be registered with the provincial registry and display the registration number, and any local business licence number, on every listing (required since May 1, 2025). Registrations are renewed yearly and changes must be reported within 14 days.
- Principal residence requirement. In communities where it applies, short-term rentals are limited to the host's principal residence plus one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property. The province publishes the list of communities and exemptions, which can change each year.
- Definition. Provincial registration covers rentals of fewer than 90 consecutive days; local business licence rules may use shorter periods such as 28 or 30 days.
- Tenancy law. Section 4(e) of the Residential Tenancy Act excludes vacation or travel accommodation.
- Taxes. PST and the Municipal and Regional District Tax generally apply to short-term accommodation; registered platforms collect them on bookings they facilitate.
- Strata fines. A strata corporation can fine up to $1,000 for a short-term rental bylaw breach, potentially every day, if its bylaws say so.
- Privacy. Guest information is protected by the Personal Information Protection Act.
Mistakes that cost BC hosts
The most expensive problems for hosts are rarely the guests themselves. They are listings without a valid registration number, which platforms now take down; a second suite rented in a community where only one is allowed; strata fines that arrive after a guest's birthday party, with nothing in writing making the guest responsible; and damage deposits withheld without photographs or an itemized list, which turn into disputes and bad reviews. Filling in this agreement for every booking, and the inventory checklist before and after each stay, avoids all four.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a registration number to rent my place short term in BC?
Yes. Since May 1, 2025, hosts must be registered with the provincial short-term rental registry and must display the registration number, and any local business licence number, on every listing. Platforms remove listings without a valid number. Registration is renewed every year and costs $100 for a unit you live in and $450 for a unit you do not.
Can I rent out a property that isn't my home as a short-term rental in BC?
In most communities of 10,000 or more people, and nearby smaller ones, only your principal residence and one secondary suite or accessory dwelling unit on the same property may be rented short term. Resort municipalities, many rural areas and some other communities are exempt. Check the province's current list and your local bylaws before you accept bookings.
Does the Residential Tenancy Act apply to Airbnb guests in BC?
Generally no. Section 4(e) of the Residential Tenancy Act excludes living accommodation occupied as vacation or travel accommodation. A long stay where the guest is effectively living in the unit can be treated as a tenancy, so be careful with month-long or longer bookings.
Do I have to charge PST on a short-term rental in BC?
PST and the Municipal and Regional District Tax generally apply to short-term accommodation. A platform registered to collect them handles the bookings it facilitates. For direct bookings you may need to register and collect them yourself unless an exemption applies, so confirm with the BC Ministry of Finance.
Can my strata fine me for short-term rentals?
Yes, if its bylaws prohibit or limit them. The Strata Property Regulation allows a fine of up to $1,000 for breaching a short-term rental bylaw, which can be imposed as often as every day if the bylaw provides for it. This agreement lets you attach the strata's rules and pass on fines caused by guests.
