Renting in Squamish in 2026

Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound about an hour north of Vancouver, with a population of roughly 28,600 as of Statistics Canada's 2025 estimate. It has grown quickly on the strength of the Sea-to-Sky corridor's outdoor-recreation reputation and, more recently, a wave of green-economy and tech businesses relocating from the Lower Mainland.

The Woodfibre LNG project under construction just outside town is adding meaningful short-term rental demand from its workforce, layered on top of an already tight market driven by Vancouver and Whistler spillover. Squamish's housing stock is a mix of newer townhouse and condo development close to downtown, plus older single-family homes, and rents here track closer to the Lower Mainland than to most other small towns in this list.

The local economy runs on the following:

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  Woodfibre LNG, under construction with roughly 1,500 peak construction jobs expected
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  Carbon Engineering and a growing cluster of green-economy and tech businesses
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  Tourism and outdoor recreation, including the Sea to Sky Gondola
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  School District 48 (Sea to Sky), serving Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton

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  The Stawamus Chief (Siy'ám' Smánit), a 700 m granite monolith with more than 300 climbing routes
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  Shannon Falls, at 335 m one of BC's tallest waterfalls
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  The Sea to Sky Gondola, opened in 2014 with an 850 m summit
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  Garibaldi Provincial Park, including Garibaldi Lake, between Squamish and Whistler

Every rental in Squamish is governed by the BC Residential Tenancy Act. Key rules that apply regardless of town size:

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  Rent increases are capped at 2.3% for 2026 and 2.2% for 2027.Once every 12 months, with at least 3 full months' written notice.
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  Security deposit capped at half a month's rent.A separate pet damage deposit, also capped at half a month's rent, is allowed on top of it.
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  Landlord entry requires 24 hours' written notice.For repairs, showings, or inspections.
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  Disputes go to the RTB.A $100 flat fee applies to file a Dispute Resolution application.
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  A condition inspection report is required at move-in and move-out.If a landlord skips it, they forfeit the right to claim against the deposit for damage.

Deep guides for each of these topics are in the SQRFT guide library.

• Statistics Canada 2021 Census Profile
• School District 48 (Sea to Sky)
• BC RTB