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Council adopts rental registration ordinance; councilors debate definitions, exemptions and fees
Summary
The Vancouver City Council adopted a rental registration program (new Chapter 5.08 VMC) intended to create a citywide database of rental units, with annual registration and a $30 fee; councilors debated unit definitions, exemptions for existing below‑market units and how the program would align with state landlord‑tenant law.
The Vancouver City Council on Monday adopted an ordinance creating a rental registration program (new Chapter 5.08 of the Vancouver Municipal Code) that requires property owners to register rental units annually and includes a $30 per-unit charge to fund the program. Council passed the ordinance after discussion about definitions, exemptions and enforcement.
City staff described the primary goals as building "an accurate database of the rental units in the city" to inform outreach, inspections and policy, and said the license would be a calendar-year license starting Jan. 1 with a 45-day grace period for renewal.
Councilors spent substantial time on definitions. Staff explained the code uses distinct terms: "housing unit" to describe the…
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