Bed and Breakfast

Port Alberni Zoning Bylaw 5105 only allows Short Term Rental (STR) within a permanent resident occupied single-detached dwelling or guest house (Section 6.14 Bed and Breakfast and Guest House Operations).

All STR operators MUST comply with Provincial Regulations and City Bylaws.

What is a B&B (Bed and Breakfast)?

A bed and breakfast means the use of part of a single family dwelling for the accommodation of paying overnight transient guests for short tern rental (under 30 days) and where breakfast is the only meal served.

What is a SFD (Single Family Dwelling)?

Any building consisting of one dwelling unit which is occupied or intended to be occupied as the permanent home or residence of one family. Does not include separate suites.

Please find below a summary of information on how the City of Port Alberni is managing short-term rentals. 

Short-Term Rentals in Port Alberni

• Development Services currently issues a “Bed and Breakfast Business Licence” for short-term rentals in alignment with the Zoning Bylaw and BC legislation.
• BC legislation does not require the City of Port Alberni to allow or licence short-term rentals.
• Short-term rentals are currently permitted in Port Alberni within a single-detached home, legal secondary suite, or a guest house operation.
  • The single-detached dwelling must be occupied by a permanent resident of the dwelling.
  • Up to two bedrooms may be used as a short-term rental. 

• Development Services has recently begun issuing business licences for short-term rentals in legal secondary suites within single-detached homes. This aligns closer with provincial limits on short-term rentals, while still meeting Zoning Bylaw regulations.

   

Port Alberni Zoning Bylaw 5105

• Section 6.14 Bed and Breakfast and Guest House Operations allows short-term rentals within a permanent resident occupied single-detached dwelling or guest house. 

   

“Bed and Breakfast Business Licence” for Short-Term Rentals

• Short-term rental owners must obtain a City of Port Alberni Bed & Breakfast Business Licence.
• All short-term rental operators must comply with the City of Port Alberni bylaws, regulations, and policies. BC’s short-term rental legislation must also be met.
• The Building and Fire departments will perform a site visit/inspection of the property to confirm that municipal and provincial requirements are met.
• Only ‘legal suites’ will be granted a business licence.
  • All secondary suites must meet BC Building Code requirements for the safety of all occupants.
  • This means any separate space from the main unit must meet fire separation requirements through a building permit for the safety of both the permanent resident occupant and the short-term renter.

BC legislation covers the following:

• Short-term rental registration;
• Principal residence requirement including limits on secondary suites and accessory dwelling units.
• Displaying of business licence;
• Changes to legal non-conforming use protections;
• Local government tools to enforce short-term rental bylaws;
• Provincial compliance and enforcement unit.

For a full list with details on BC’s short-term rental legislation, please refer to https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/short-term-rentals .

Legal Suite Requirements:

• Only ‘legal suites’ will be granted a business licence;
• A building permit (including the secondary suite pre-application checklist) must be submitted prior to a business licence application to convert all suites (illegal/in-law/unauthorized) to a legal suite.
• A contractor or engineer may need to be consulted regarding meeting BC Building Code requirements for a legal secondary suite.

• All secondary suites must meet BC Building Code requirements for the safety of all occupants.  This means any separate space from the main unit must meet fire separation requirements through a building permit for the safety of both the permanent resident occupant and the short-term renter.

   

Please Note for non-legal suites:

• Use of Unauthorized Suites Prohibited. Short term rentals may not operate in any area of the home that is configured as a self-contained dwelling unit.
• No Separate Cooking Appliances or Facilities: No cooking appliances or facilities to be located outside of the principal kitchen of the main dwelling, unless the bed and breakfast is operating within a legal suite that was constructed with a valid building permit and meets all requirements of the BC Building Code and applicable bylaws.
• Guest Rooms Must be Within the Primary Dwelling Unit: All guest accommodations must be located within the main dwelling unit and have direct interior access to common areas. Guest rooms may not be located in self-contained areas with separate entrances, unless it is a legal suite built to BC Building Code Standards under a building permit. There shall be no lock placed on doors restraining occupants from gaining access to the common areas.

Please find attached:

1. Building Permit Application (if needing to convert unauthorized secondary suite to legal secondary suite or to remove unauthorized suite).
2. Secondary Suite Pre-Application Checklist (required to convert/build legal secondary suite).
3. Business Licence Application Form (to apply for bed & breakfast [short term rental] business licence).
4. Bed & Breakfast Pamphlet.