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Communities need people and people need homes.
The lack of affordable housing in Vancouver has put our city at risk. We want people to stay, live, and build a future in our city.
To meet the needs of our growing population and ensure our city remains vibrant and diverse, it’s important that we have an affordable and varied supply of housing.
Housing Vancouver strategy
Housing Vancouver is our new 10-year housing strategy to reduce Vancouver’s housing affordability gap and to provide a strong foundation for the future of Vancouver.
Our new housing strategy is ambitious, and will see many changes across the city to ensure our city can continue to grow its diverse communities.
Housing Vancouver strategy
Our new 10-year strategy will address housing affordability and the supply of 72,000 homes that our residents need.
To help address Vancouver’s housing crisis, we have implemented three key initiatives.
Empty Homes Tax
The tax has been implemented on empty or under-utilized residential properties.
Short-term rentals
The program allows owners and renters to rent their principal residence for stays under 30 days.
Temporary modular housing
Places homeless residents directly into housing with the right supports.
News about housing
Empty Homes Tax to generate estimated $30 million
April 23 2018 - Vancouver's Empty Homes Tax, the first of its kind in North America, will generate an estimated $30 million in revenue to the City.
City legalizes short-term rentals in Vancouver
April 19 2018 - City Council enacted a new bylaw that permits Vancouver residents to operate short-term rentals in their principal residence for stays of less than 30 days.
More than 98% of homeowners declared by Empty Homes Tax deadline
March 7 2018 - The Empty Homes Tax declaration period for 2017 closed on March 5, 2018, with a total of 183,911 declarations submitted, accounting for 98.85% of all residential property owners in Vancouver.
Fewer than 4,000 homeowners yet to submit Empty Homes Tax declarations
February 22 2018 - With fewer than 4,000 residential property owners still required to submit Empty Homes Tax declarations, we have extended the declaration deadline to March 5 to ensure homeowners have been given every opportunity to comply with the new tax.
Get updates
Find out about public events, news, and activities that will help shape the Housing Vancouver strategy.
Housing programs and resources
Find rental properties with health or safety issues
Look up residential rental buildings in Vancouver with health, safety, maintenance, tidiness, and other issues. The database lists buildings with issues that are unresolved or were resolved in the last 12 months.
Homelessness services
Find shelters, financial aid, low-cost meals and recreation, and community centres that serve low-income residents.
Social- and market rental housing
Resources for tenants and developers of social housing, co-op housing, and market rental housing.
Supportive housing
Learn about supportive housing to help people who are homeless or at-risk to lead stable, independent, and connected lives.
Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency
Uses City- and partner-owned land for new housing projects with more types of home options and greater affordability than the private market.
Mayor's Task Force on Housing Affordability
The Task Force recommended bold and practical ways to improve housing affordability for low- to moderate-income households.
Related policies
Housing options for families
The Housing Mix Policy for Rezoning Projects is another step towards increasing the supply of family homes.
Rental standards database
About our initiative to create an online database of rental buildings and their compliance with health and safety bylaws.
Winter Response Strategy
The City is working with the Province to provide cold-weather shelter, and connect homeless people to community resources.
