Vancouver council debates rental-registration fee, delays inspection specifics

Vancouver City Council members debated an ordinance on June 2 that would establish a rental-registration program requiring all rental housing in the city to register annually and pay a $30 per-unit fee, with some exemptions for income-restricted units.

The measure is intended to create a complete inventory of rental housing, identify owners and contacts, and provide data to support future enforcement, education and relocation-assistance programs. Councilors and members of the public raised concerns about the fee structure, the timing of the first registration, and whether small, owner-occupied and newly built units should be treated differently.

Supporters of the program said it is a tool to fill gaps in the city’s data on rental stock and to improve communication and enforcement. Critics — including a landlord representative and several council members — warned the fee and any inspection program that follows could increase costs for small landlords and ultimately be passed on to tenants.

“[The registration] was never really a consideration, in part because we want…