A recent bylaw warning issued to a local resident for home-swapping has sparked confusion—and clarification—around how Whistler’s short-term rental bylaws are enforced.
According to municipal staff, residents offering their homes for exchange on platforms like HomeExchange or People Like Us are still running afoul of Whistler’s long-standing zoning laws.
“It’s the intent of the bylaw,” said Mayor Jack Crompton. “Tourism uses are meant to occur in areas with tourist accommodation zoning, not in residential zones.”
While short-term rental enforcement in Whistler often brings Airbnb and VRBO listings to mind, officials confirm even non-commercial swaps—where no money changes hands—still qualify as “tourism use” if they involve stays of less than a month.
That means platforms promoting week-long or weekend exchanges still trigger the same zoning restrictions.
“Our enforcement is complaint-based,” Crompton explained. “We review listings on accommodation platforms, respond to every complaint filed, and carry out proactive enforcement on frequent listings. The provincial short-term rental registry has also made our work more effective.”
Despite the municipality’s clarity, many homeowners remain unaware that non-monetary exchanges are also restricted. Some argue the rules are overly rigid, limiting flexible use of their property.
Whistler’s zoning framework, however, has remained largely unchanged since it was first established.
“It demonstrates some incredible foresight by people who framed up what this community would be,” Crompton said. “They created a huge amount of tourist accommodation intended for tourism use, and a huge amount of residential accommodation intended for residential use. We’re committed to that regime.”
In the case of one resident recently warned for home-swapping, a complaint appears to have triggered the response—but officials say these incidents are rare.
“This one came in through a complaint, but I don’t think we’ve seen a whole bunch of home-swapping complaints,” Crompton added. “Still, the bylaw applies.”
Those wishing to rent or swap their homes legally must apply for rezoning to acquire tourist accommodation status. The only exemption is for stays longer than 30 days, which fall outside the definition of “short-term.”
As the line between commercial rentals and casual exchanges blurs, the municipality says the bottom line remains clear: tourist use is not permitted in residential zones, regardless of the platform used.
