Skip to content

For rent: An RV parked outside a Vancouver home. But is that legal?

"Urban living has never been this accessible!"

Vancouver's rental market is testing what's allowed in the city.

In one ad recently posted to Facebook Marketplace an RV is offered as an "ideal home in the heart of East Van."

"This charming RV one-bedroom suite parked on our property is available for Nov 11," states the person posting the ad.

The RV is not being rented as a vehicle with a home attached, but more as a home that happens to be on four stationary tires. Part of the ad focuses on where the RV is set up, noting it's a nice area with shops on Kingsway and easy access to transit.

The RV itself appears to be larger than some of the small suites offered up around the city and would be a private dwelling. It has a bedroom, kitchenette with a small dinner table, shower, and bathroom.

"Urban living has never been this accessible!" notes the ad, which states the rate to rent the RV is $1,400 per month.

However, the legality of such a setup is questionable. City bylaws cover things like this and things like the length of the RV and zoning could thwart the creative rental.

For example, an RV as a dwelling would not be an approved use for the land according to one zoning bylaw. If the property owner wanted to get zoning for a carriage house on their land they could do that, but it wouldn't extend to an RV set up as a home.

At the same time, it's not illegal to sleep in an RV in Vancouver, though it can be difficult to do so long-term.