Vancouver’s Rental Registration Program to improve quality, safety of rental housing
July 15, 2025
At Monday’s regular Council Meeting, City Council adopted the Rental Registration Program ordinance to improve the quality and safety of rental housing in Vancouver.
“The program offers wide-ranging benefits for the entire community. Tenants will gain safer, more habitable homes, with clearer channels for repairs and relocation assistance when needed. Landlords will have better access to educational resources and guidance, making compliance easier and more transparent,” said Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. “This program reflects our commitment to tenant well-being and responsible rental property ownership.”
Starting January 2026, all long-term rental property owners will be required to register their units each year and pay a $30 per-unit fee. This fee will be waived for the first year for units registered within the first 90 days of the program launch. Rental registration will require submission of unit-level data, such as address, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, year built, and whether the unit is income-restricted. Inspections will begin in mid to late 2027 after the registration system is established and shaped with community input.
The ordinance also establishes a tenant relocation fund to help lower-income households move from uninhabitable units. Certain types of housing, such as short-term rentals, shelters, hospitals and owner-occupied units, are exempt from the requirements, and fee waivers are available for qualifying income-restricted properties.
The City will spend the next several months preparing for the new rental registration program. This work includes creating easy-to-follow instructions, setting up a simple online registration system, and reaching out to known landlords and property managers. The City will work with community members to design a fair and efficient inspection process. The City is rolling out the program in phases—first focusing on building a full list of rental properties and funding support for tenants, followed by regular inspections to ensure habitability standards.
Once launched, the program will provide more complete and accurate rental housing data, which will inform targeted housing policy, improve communication with property owners, and support fast assistance with public health or safety concerns.
Preserving quality rental housing through registration and inspections has been a community priority in Vancouver, identified in multiple housing plans since 2016. Development of this program began in early 2024 with a community stakeholder workgroup that included housing providers, property management companies, tenants, legal experts, rental housing associations and housing advocates.
Media contacts:
Laura Shepard, Communications Director, laura.shepard@cityofvancouver.us
Samantha Whitley, Housing Manager, sam.whitley@cityofvancouver.us