Accused short-term rental fraudster Matthew Kuras loses B.C. real estate licence

Matthew Kuras is seen in this photo from TRG The Residential Group Realty's website.

The B.C. Financial Services Authority has issued a consumer alert about Matthew Kuras, the real estate licensee it has accused of operating a short-term rental fraud in Vancouver.

“BCFSA has received recent complaints from property owners in the Lower Mainland alleging that Kuras is making demands for payments of additional fees and is withholding rent payments,” the consumer alert issued Thursday reads.

“Kuras is not authorized to provide real estate services and BCFSA advises against making any payments to him.”

Kuras’ unlicensed status appears to be a recent development. As recently as last month, he was still listed in the BCFSA’s directory as a licensed trading representative and property manager.

This, despite being in the midst of a months-long legal battle with the regulator over its “order in urgent circumstances” directing him to share tax documents and other personal information, and his refusal to do so.

• Read more: B.C. property manager accused of short-term rental fraud loses appeal of document production order

In a news release accompanying the consumer alert Thursday, the BCFSA says Kuras’ real estate licence “was surrendered” and he was terminated by his former employer TRG – The Residential Group on May 22.

According to the regulator, Kuras lost his licence and job because he was “conducting property management services under his unlicensed company, MetroVan Realty,” which does business as MetroVan Realty Property Management.

It is through this company, the regulator says, that Kuras has been making his recent monetary demands.

“MetroVan Realty has never been licensed to conduct real estate transactions in B.C.,” the BCFSA says in its release.

“Tenants are advised to work directly with their landlord property owners, and to contact BCFSA if they have information about Kuras’ activities,” the consumer alert concludes.

“Any landlord clients who have engaged Kuras’ services are also advised to contact BCFSA directly.”

The fight over documents

The underlying allegations against Kuras have not been proven. The BCFSA has accused him of the following:

• Tenanting five properties in Vancouver “under false pretences” and renting them out as short-term rentals without their owners’ knowledge or authorization
• “Advertising real estate without the owner’s knowledge and authorization”
• “Falsifying contractual documents”
• “Exposing owners to fines” during tenancies Kuras managed
• And “making any false or misleading statement” in a document related to a licensing renewal application

CTV News has been reporting on fraudulent short-term rental listings in downtown Vancouver since last September.

While each case is different, the fraud’s typical pattern is as follows.

A tenant signs a long-term lease on an apartment, often one that has been offered fully furnished. Rather than moving in, however, the “tenant” lists the unit on Airbnb or a similar short-term rental platform without the knowledge or consent of the property’s owner.

In some of the cases CTV News has reported on, the fake tenant has had several similar listings, suggesting the scam is being run on multiple units at once, in violation of provincial regulations that limit short-term rentals to a person’s primary residence and one secondary suite on the same lot.

• Read more: ‘A strange person opened the door’: How a Vancouver condo owner discovered his long-term tenant listed the unit on Airbnb
• Short-term rental scam in downtown Vancouver happening on another well-known booking platform

The BCFSA is not responsible for enforcing provincial short-term rental rules. Rather, it has been investigating Kuras for what it sees as contraventions of the provincial Real Estate Services Act and associated regulations, particularly those regarding conduct unbecoming of a licensee.

Kuras may also have committed professional misconduct through his failure to co-operate with the investigation of his alleged fraud, according to the BCFSA.

The regulator imposed $27,000 in administrative penalties on Kuras in November 2025 over his refusal to provide documents sought by BCFSA investigators.

The BCFSA has ordered Kuras to hand over the documents in question, but he has fought that order in the B.C. Financial Services Tribunal and sought a judicial review in B.C. Supreme Court.

The regulator held a hearing in March to determine whether Kuras’ failure to provide the documents amounts to professional misconduct. A liability decision following the hearing has not yet been issued.