Image: Mike Vanden Bosch / Pattison Media / An apartment building at 9310 Edward Street is pictured from mid-November 2023. The City of Chilliwack confirms that there is no business license or pending business license application for two unlawful Airbnb units inside this building. The realty firm that likely owns this building has not responded to Fraser Valley inquiries about whether they own it or why they haven't gotten a city business license that is currently required for short-term rentals by the City of Chilliwack.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Unlicensed short-term rentals

City of Chilliwack confirms no business license for short-term rentals at Edward St. apt. building; realty firm won’t comment

Nov 30, 2023 | 10:48 AM

CHILLIWACK — The City of Chilliwack has confirmed the presence of unlicensed short-term rentals at an apartment building on Edward Street north of Chilliwack General Hospital, but the Lower Mainland realty firm that likely owns it won’t confirm or deny they’re affiliated with it.

Fraser Valley Today was tipped off in October by a Chilliwack resident on Edward Street to the presence of two short-term rentals in this apartment building at 9310 Edward Street. Fraser Valley Today is not identifying this individual out of concerns that their housing could be put at risk.

The apartment building in question at 9310 Edward Street has approximately 16 units and is assessed at $2,398,000. It was built in 1966, according to publicly available records on the B.C. Assessment website. The land size is 14,641 square feet, or 0.33 acres. The building is an affordable, pet-friendly apartment, which seems to be a rarity in Chilliwack given the amount of people looking for housing these days.

The Edward Street resident says short-term rentals commonly listed through sites like Airbnb or Vrbo can be disruptive to the peace and quiet that residents should expect in a building like the one at 9310 Edward Street.

“There is garbage left in common areas instead of being put in the dumpster, cans and bottles are left in the bushes around the property, and not cleaning up after their pets properly,” the Edward Street resident said. “The building has no on-site staff on the property, even though they are mentioned in the Airbnb postings. This has led to instances where guests in the building go to residents for help with problems such as finding the lock boxes so they can get in the building, doing laundry, giving directions, etc.”

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Image: Airbnb / The interior of an Airbnb unit at 9310 Edward Street. The City of Chilliwack says there is no business license or pending business license application for this building.

The resident acknowledges that these issues may constitute minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things, but there’s a flip side.

“While those are all minor inconveniences, the permanent residents shouldn’t be unknowingly volunteered to help people using our home as a hotel. In fact, if they were in a hotel there would be paid staff available to help with anything that arises,” the Edward Street resident stated. “These are homes that could be used by people in our community who actually live here with their families and pets.”

The City of Chilliwack confirmed on two occasions that there was no business license or a pending business license application for 9310 Edward Street. Although the recent provincial announcement restricting short-term rentals has focused new attention on short-term rentals, Chilliwack has had a bylaw in place to regulate them since 2021, according to Liana Wiebe, a spokesperson for the city.

“Many parts of the provincial regulations, such as the principal residency requirement and displaying the business licence in the listing, are already included in the City’s Short-Term Rental Bylaw. Short-term rentals in Chilliwack are required to obtain a business licence and comply with the City’s bylaw,” Wiebe wrote in an emailed statement to Fraser Valley Today.

If people wish to complain about an unlicensed short-term rental in a Chilliwack housing complex, residents of the buildings themselves cannot file a complaint because the city does not get involved in landlord-tenant disputes.

In December 2022, Council approved Policy Directive No. H-01 Bylaw Compliance and Enforcement, which directs city staff to only accept complaints for multi-family buildings if the complainant is not an owner or resident of the property. This provision was created as there are other, more appropriate means to address concerns within multi-family buildings, such as reaching out to the strata council, property management company or property owner, or filing a formal complaint through the Residential Tenancy Board, Wiebe pointed out. This process is followed for all complaints within multi-family buildings.

In the case of these two Airbnb listings at 9310 Edward Street, someone living elsewhere would need to file a complaint about the building itself.

“When a bylaw complaint is received by the city of Chilliwack, municipal staff will investigate and work with the property owner as needed in an attempt to first gain voluntary compliance, before taking enforcement action,” Wiebe said. “The City has received some complaints and anticipates more enforcement capabilities in the future, as a result of a new short-term rental registry being created by the Province. In the meantime, the City will continue to review and apply new provincial regulations as they take effect.”

Fraser Valley Today reached out on three occasions to the real estate firm that likely oversees the two unlicensed Airbnb listings as well as the building itself. A tenant of the building indicated that a bank notification for a monthly rent withdrawal listed the funds recipient as Kelly Fry, who appears to be a Lower Mainland realtor.

Fraser Valley Today sent its first email to the Kelly Fry Team on Thursday, November 2, but no response was ever received.

On Tuesday, November 7, Fraser Valley Today again tried to contact the Kelly Fry Team with questions about the Airbnb listings and received a reply from Kelly Fry herself asking what the news reporter’s question was. Fraser Valley Today responded that same day with clarifying questions, but never heard back.

The unlicensed Airbnb listings for the building at 9310 Edward Street can be accessed here: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/38410490?source_impression_id=p3_1697592356_NP%2BrOM6t9K5sQ%2Fo%2B

https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/707208491885283891?source_impression_id=p3_1697592356_bgUeUY%2FQGky%2BAD3d