September 12,2025
RED FM News Desk
Two Vancouver city councillors from opposite sides of the political spectrum are pressing Airbnb for answers after CTV News revealed that several condo owners discovered their long-term tenants had illegally listed their units on the platform.
Hossein Tavakoli first uncovered the scheme when he found out his downtown condo was being rented on Airbnb. He realized something was wrong in August when a guest who had booked through the platform opened the door, instead of the tenant he believed was living there.
After seeing CTV’s report, Silbi Kim came forward saying the same thing had happened to her, and several other condo owners have since contacted the newsroom with similar stories.
Green Party Coun. Pete Fry praised the reporting, saying it exposed what appears to be a widespread issue:
“It’s clearly a widespread problem,” he said.
ABC Coun. Peter Meiszner echoed the concern:
“It’s shocking really… there are more cases out there. Clearly, some loopholes need to be closed.”
Both Tavakoli and Kim said Airbnb refused to take down the fraudulent listings, instead directing them to resolve the issue with their supposed “host”—who turned out not to be their tenant at all. Once confronted, the tenants vanished.
Fry criticized Airbnb for leaving enforcement up to landlords:
“I’m disappointed to learn Airbnb isn’t removing these listings. It should not fall to property owners to enforce rules Airbnb has agreed to follow.”
The city’s agreement with Airbnb requires landlords’ permission before a unit can be listed, and the host must live in the property as their primary residence. Fry said he plans to review this agreement.
Meiszner added he would also be investigating:
“It’s concerning not to know who’s living in your property, while strangers come and go under the assumption you’ve rented to a long-term tenant.”
In Tavakoli’s case, the fraudulent host falsely claimed the unit was exempt from licensing requirements, something impossible for a downtown Vancouver condo.
Fry said Airbnb should be more proactive in verifying listings:
“It would be nice if Airbnb ensured hosts had valid business licenses and weren’t exploiting non-existent exemptions.”
Premier David Eby also weighed in, acknowledging the issue and noting that the province is working with Airbnb and other short-term rental companies on compliance:
“We are in a multi-phase process… there’s more work to be done with Airbnb around regulation.”
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