Paying GST when buying nightly rental property

[Ben Black]

Hi there,

I'm looking to purchase a 1 bedroom condo in Whistler BC as my first property. My hope was to live in the unit, and occasionally rent it out on AirBnB.

My realtor has informed me that the unit I'm looking at is zoned as a Phase 1 (eligible for nightly rentals) and that since it has been used for that purpose (as opposed to a principal residence), when buying the property I'm on the hook for paying 5% in GST on top of the sale price.

I'm having a really hard time finding information about this online. Is this true? I thought that GST was only applicable on new builds or large renos.

Any help is appreciated :)