Airbnb and short-term rentals (STRs) are, understandably, hot topics in the city. With a vacancy rate hovering at around 0.6 per cent for longer-term rentals, Vancouver has seen its citizens share numerous stories about the difficulty of finding accommodation. Many believe the increase of Airbnb properties and STRs has contributed to locals being squeezed out of the rental market.

Under current laws, Airbnb properties and short-term rentals (a home rented for less than 30 days at a time) are not permitted, except for those in hotels or B&Bs that are zoned and licenced.

That fact hasn’t stopped numerous Vancouver homes from popping up on the Airbnb website. More than 300 properties are currently available to rent by the night. Critics are worried that, given the high price each suite fetches, the number is only likely to grow.

To combat the rise in illegal short-term rentals, a new Twitter account has opened in the last few days with the aim of listing the addresses of properties operating without the correct licence. The @VISTRO11 account publishes links to Airbnb postings in the city with images, and tags the City of Vancouver and Canada Revenue Agency. The account, whose name stands for Vancouver’s Illegal Short Term Rental Operators, promises to “go after Airbnb” because the “City won’t”.

@VISTRO11 so far has registered 25 tweets, and has 445 followers—including the City of Vancouver. A post suggests that the account will be reporting more short-term rental properties in the future, but that “verifying tips takes time”, and that they “didn’t want to hurt honest Vancouverites through neglect.” According its first tweet, the organizers behind the account have already received more than 100 suggestions.

The creation of the account comes during a period of uncertainty around current short-term rental laws. Provincial Housing Minister Selina Robinson said late last year that her staff was looking into regulating those accommodations, while Mayor Gregor Robertson said short-term rentals had taken away the availability of long-term rental units. City Hall public hearings on the topic took place last week on October 24 and 26, and its discussion and decision on the matter is scheduled for the regular Council meeting on November 14.

Follow Kate Wilson on Twitter @KateWilsonSays