Buying a Second Home in Whistler: Rentals, Taxes & Skiing

Few cities have skiing this close. From a West Vancouver home, Cypress is on the doorstep, and Whistler is a drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway. For many families, that leads to the question of a second home in Whistler. Here’s the skiing, then what to know before you buy, from official sources.

The local mountains

Cypress Mountain, West Vancouver. Inside Cypress Provincial Park, about 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver according to the resort, with six chairlifts and around 600 skiable acres. It was the freestyle skiing and snowboard venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver. Reached by the Skyride gondola from the top of Nancy Greene Way, with ski and snowboard programs for children and teens.
Mount Seymour, North Vancouver. A family-owned and operated resort, with lessons and camps, snowshoeing and tubing.

For a family living on the North Shore, an after-school lesson or a few evening runs is a normal weekday.

Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb, owned by Vail Resorts, is two mountains with more than 8,000 skiable acres, over 200 runs, 16 alpine bowls and three glaciers. The PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola joins them. The resort describes the link between its Whistler and Blackcomb gondolas as a 13.5-kilometre, fully enclosed ride from mountain to mountain. Beyond the resort, a separate heli-skiing tenure covers more than 400,000 acres.

Getting there: most people drive the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99). Harbour Air lists Whistler among its seaplane destinations.

Buying in Whistler: what’s different

Nightly rentals depend on zoning

This is the most important rule in Whistler. According to the Resort Municipality of Whistler:

A residential-zoned property cannot be rented to tourists for any length of time.
A property can be rented nightly only if its zoning lists “tourist accommodation” or “temporary accommodation” as a permitted use.
Since 2017, every tourist accommodation needs a business licence, including self-managed rentals.

The municipality’s online map has a “Zoned for Nightly Rentals” layer. The zoning bylaw has the final say. Some properties also carry rental covenants that affect how they can be used. If renting the home when you’re not there matters to you, check the zoning before anything else.

The Province’s short-term rental rules

BC’s principal-residence requirement for short-term rentals doesn’t apply in Whistler, which the Province lists as an exempt resort municipality. Whistler’s own zoning and licensing rules still apply, as does the provincial registration of short-term rentals.

The speculation and vacancy tax

Whistler is not on the Province’s list of taxable areas for the speculation and vacancy tax. Squamish and Lions Bay, on the way up, are. So are West Vancouver and both North Vancouvers. If your main home is there and your second home is in Whistler, ask your accountant how the tax applies to each.

Resident-restricted homes

Some Whistler homes are resident-restricted under covenants administered by the Whistler Housing Authority. They’re sold to qualified local workers through a waitlist, with strict limits on owning other property. They aren’t available as second homes, so be sure a listing isn’t one of them.

Tax on a second home

A family can designate only one home as its principal residence for each year. A gain on the sale of a second home may be taxable, so plan with your accountant before you buy.

Questions people ask

Can I rent my Whistler home on Airbnb when I’m not using it?

Only if its zoning permits tourist accommodation, and with a Whistler business licence. Residential-zoned homes cannot be rented to tourists.

Does the speculation and vacancy tax apply in Whistler?

Whistler is not among the Province’s taxable areas, but Squamish and Lions Bay are.

How far is Whistler from West Vancouver?

It’s a drive up the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Horseshoe Bay. Seaplanes also fly in.

Property transfer tax, explained · Request a private consultation

General information, current as of publication, from the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Province of British Columbia, the Canada Revenue Agency and the resorts. It isn’t legal or tax advice; confirm details for a specific property with the municipality, your lawyer and your accountant.

Skiing, and a second home in Whistler