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Airbnb, VRBO, Craigslist sublets are an evictable offence, says Landlord BC

Homeowners are being warned about tenants making profit off their homes through short term rentals arranged through sites like Airbnb, VRBO and Craigslist.

"This is likely something that is going to grow, and we don't pretend that we're going to be able to stop it," David Hutniak, said the CEO of Landlord BC, which represents owners and managers of purpose-built rental buildings.

Hutniak told The Early Edition's Rick Cluff he's been working to make his members more aware of the increasing popularity of tenants using Airbnb, VRBO and Craigslist.

He says landlords should look out for tenants who may be re-renting their homes through regular inspections and by keeping an eye on short-term rental websites.

"You see a picture of your building, shots of the actual suite of the building on Craigslist, promoting Airbnb," he said.

"Obviously there's liability for [the landlord], if there's unknown folks going in and out of their rental buildings and really, at the end of the day, there's damage to the suites."

Hutniak said most tenancy agreements require a tenant to get written consent from their landlord before subletting, meaning many tenants are breaking the rules — and could risk eviction.

"Often times it's just a matter of education, communication, making sure people understand what their tenancy agreement says and we find that by doing that we mitigate a lot of the issues," said Hutniak.

To hear the full interview with David Hutniak, click the audio labelled: Landlord BC warns about Airbnb.