Vancouver, WA Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)

Vancouver City Council adopted the city's first short-term rental ordinance on December 18, 2023, codified as VMC Chapter 20.835 and effective January 17, 2024 as a 24-month pilot. Under the submission requirements at VMC 20.835.050, every STR permit application must include a copy of the operator's liability insurance for the short-term rental, which must comply with RCW 64.37.050 as now existing or hereafter amended. RCW 64.37.050 (enacted by the 2019 Washington Legislature in Chapter 64.37 RCW) requires either that the operator maintain primary liability insurance covering the dwelling in the aggregate of not less than $1,000,000, or that every STR transaction be conducted through a platform (Airbnb, Vrbo, etc.) that provides equal or greater primary liability coverage. Airbnb's AirCover Host Liability and Vrbo's Liability Coverage program both include up to $1,000,000 per occurrence on covered platforms and generally satisfy the platform pathway. Vancouver also caps total active STR permits at 870 units (approximately one percent of the city's housing stock) and charges a $250 one-time permit fee. Hosts who advertise off-platform (a personal website, Craigslist, etc.) cannot rely on platform coverage and must carry their own primary $1,000,000 liability policy. Standard Washington homeowner policies typically exclude commercial or short-term rental activity, so hosts often add a short-term rental endorsement or buy a dedicated landlord/STR policy.