Renting residences and guest cabins on Lasqueti - what is possible

Renting residences and guest cabins on Lasqueti Island - What is possible

There is some confusion about what is possible and legal on Lasqueti about renting residences and guest cabins. This information has been checked by the Trust's Bylaw Enforcement Manager and by our planner.

Each legal residential parcel on Lasqueti in the Land Based zone (most of the island) can have one house and one guest cabin. Larger properties can have one house and one guest cabin per 4 hectares (9.88 acres). On the outer associated island, larger properties can have one house and one guest cabin per 8 hectares (19.76 acres). The remaining zone - Watershed Protection - can have one house and one guest cabin per 65 hectares (160 acres).

Guest cabins must not be larger than 56 square meters (602.7 square feet) in floor area. Guest cabins are to be used for the accommodation of non-paying guests of the occupants of the residence on the same parcel. It is not a dwelling and is not to be used for long term rental purposes. A guest cabin may only be used as a commercial short-term rental of less than 30 days provided the appropriate Commercial 3 zoning is in place.

A house or residence can be occupied by the owner, or by a long-term renter. Long-term means for a period not less than a month, and usually continuing on a monthly basis.

The Commercial 3 - Tourist Accommodation (C-3) zone allows the short-term (less than 30 days) rental of guest cabins. The whole parcel or just the part of it where the guest cabin(s) are located is zoned commercial. This likely will have some effect on assessment and property tax for the property.

Bed and Breakfast operations are legal in all dwellings/residences. Up to three bedrooms in the home can be rented out as long as the bedrooms are located in the home. The home must be the permanent residence of the owner or occcupier(s), and the bed and breadfast, as well as overnight visitor accommodation, are the only services provided at the Bed and Breakfast.  There is no necessity to rezone the property to operate a Bed and Breakfast. There might be some effect on assessment and property tax, but it might be only the assessed value of the house.

A Temporary Use Permit (TUP) can be applied for to permit short-term rental of guest cabins. The permit is good for three years, once granted, and an extension of three more years is possible. Cost of applying for a TUP is $770, and a renewal is $165.

A rezoning to bring a parcel, or part of a parcel, into the Commercial 3 zone is possible. The C current fee for a rezoning application/Land Use Bylaw amendment is $3,520.  If a new zone or a use that is not currently included in our Official Community Plan (OCP) is requested, fee for an OCP and LUB amendment is $4,400. I believe there is a provision for shared applications for multiple applicants for rezoning from the same zone to the same zone.

These rules were agreed to by the community. If there is broad community agreement to do so, we could change the rules. We hope that having this information. many people will be able do what they would want, legally and properly.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me, or one (or all) of the other Lasqueti trustees:

Peter Johnston    pjohnston [at] islandstrust [dot] bc [dot] ca    8785
Susan Morrison   smorrison [at] islandstrust [dot] bc [dot] ca    8589
David Graham (Lasqueti Trust Committee chairman)     dgraham [at] islandstrust [dot] bc [dot] ca
or all three of us    laltc [at] islandstrust [dot] bc [dot] ca