Airbnb Detective

On May 1, 2024 in British Columbia, many Airbnb rentals will be pulled off the market.

This is thanks to new regulations which prohibit full time Airbnb rentals throughout British Columbia with some exceptions. A handful of towns designated as tourist areas are exempt.

In a nutshell, you cannot rent out your home or condo more than 30 days in a row unless it’s your principal residence and it’s an ADU or in-law suite.

Why?

It’s an effort to make long-term rentals more available and affordable. It will also likely lower the cost of buying a house since the lucrative Airbnb money will be removed from the market, which inflates real estate.

British Columbia is not the only jurisdiction to do this.  Cities around the World are doing it.  New York, major European cities and others are enacting similar rules.

While this is highly unwelcome by Airbnb investors, it’s certainly a welcome development for anyone who lands the new job of “Airbnb Detective” these rules provide.

“Airbnb Detective” job category is now a thing. It’s a new type of job everywhere short-term rentals are restricted.

Airbnb listings on laptop

I use the term “Airbnb Detective” tongue and cheek. While it’s a brand new job category globally, I believe some governments call it the “Airbnb Compliance” job. I prefer “Airbnb Detective” lol.  The only problem with the term is that the new rules aren’t restricted to Airbnb. It applies to all short-term rentals. Airbnb just happens to be so successful it’s become the accepted universal term for anything short-term rental.

You can check out the job listing here.

Here’s what the British Columbia job position offers:

  • Salary range: $76,071 to $86,658 CAD
  • Full time
  • Work from home a possibility
  • Union position

Here’s what’s required:

Bachelor’s degree criminal justice, investigation and enforcement, law, administrative law, criminology, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
•    Minimum three (3) years experience conducting complex investigations. 
•    Minimum three (3) years recent (within the last five (5) years) experience managing multiple cases or projects.
•    Minimum three (3) years experience preparing comprehensive reports, recommending courses of action, and working closely with legal counsel to prepare cases for enforcement proceedings. 

Preference may be given to applicants with:
•    Experience with conducting investigations using the principles of administrative law, including administrative fairness and natural justice in investigative techniques and procedures. 

Reaction on X

Fivre604 posted the job position on X.

 

It’s not exactly contentious. Most comments revolve around the requirements and how onerous they are.  

I have no doubt hundreds of people will apply for this job for a few reasons.

First, it’s not that hard of a job.

Second, work from home seems probable..

Third, the job descriptions appears to offer quite a bit of autonomy.

Fourth, it might be interesting, bordering on fun if you enjoy going after people breaking rules.

Fifth, jobs with the BC government are highly sought-after. Not only is the pay reasonable (I suppose this is debatable) but it includes gold-plated pension and every benefit and perk you can imagine.   The salary is only part of the remuneration package when it comes to government jobs in Canada.

How does this position differ from similar around the world?

I spent some time looking for similar job postings but didn’t find anything.  Perhaps other jurisdictions assigned the role to already-employed people.  

Anyway, it’s also possible I missed a listing or that listings elsewhere are already filled.  

Good luck to all the applicants.

Check out the job posting here.

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