Cracking Down on Non-Compliant Short-Term Rentals
In Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver alone, there were an estimated 18,900 homes being used as short-term rental properties in 2020—a number that has almost surely increased in recent years. These are not spare bedrooms in someone's home—they are entire houses and apartments that are being used for tourists to rent—in many cases, only for a few days a week. Canada needs more long-term housing for Canadians to live in, and the federal government is taking action to crack down on these short-term rentals which are keeping homes for Canadians off the market. Some provinces, including Quebec and British Columbia, and municipalities such as Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver, have already taken action, and the federal government is taking steps to support their work.
The 2023 Fall Economic Statement announces that the federal government intends to deny income tax deductions for expenses incurred to earn short-term rental income, including interest expenses, in provinces and municipalities that have prohibited short-term rentals.
The 2023 Fall Economic Statement also announces that the federal government intends to deny income tax deductions when short-term rental operators are not compliant with the applicable provincial or municipal licensing, permitting, or registration requirements.
These measures would apply to deny all expenses incurred on or after January 1, 2024.
In addition, the federal government is taking action to support municipalities that are cracking down on non-compliant short-term rentals. The 2023 Fall Economic Statement proposes $50 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to support municipal enforcement of restrictions on short-term rentals. This will support municipalities with strict regulatory regimes that are having a significant and measurable impact in returning short-term rentals back to the long-term housing market.
Removing the ability to deduct short-term rental expenses and providing support to municipal enforcement provides a strong incentive for operators of non-compliant short-term rentals to return these properties to the long-term housing market, while also supporting the work of provinces and municipalities to ban or restrict the use of residential properties as short-term rentals.
https://www.budget.canada.ca/fes-eea/2023/report-rapport/chap1-en.html#cracking-down