With Vancouver's rental market getting more and more expensive, tenants and homeowners are getting creative.
In between regular room rentals are living rooms, tiny solariums, cubicles, and sometimes boats. Even parking spots are up for grabs.
But just how creative can renters in Vancouver's housing market get legally?
For example, could someone rent space on an owner or tenant's parking spot, front lawn, driveway, balcony, or roof, and set up their tent?
Sorry would-be happy campers: According to the City of Vancouver, the answer is no.
Citing the Zoning and Development By-law, renting these creative accommodations to live on in a car or tent is not permitted as the bylaw prohibits the use of land for anything other than its intended purpose, explains the City.
Similarly, the same bylaw prohibits boats, trailers, busses, and trucks longer than 16 feet or 4.9 meters from being parked on properties in residential areas. This also rules out most RVs and motorhomes.
"The use of a trailer as a dwelling unit would also bring it under the Vancouver Building By-law and it would need to meet CSA requirements: with a fire access path provided and be the required distances from other buildings (e.g. a minimum separation of 4.9m (16 feet) from the main house is required)," says the City in an email to V.I.A.
The City notes that the bylaws help ensure that people living in rental accommodations have access to sewage, water, and power systems.
