Condo owners looking to cash in on Taylor Swift mania in Vancouver

Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour June 21, 2024, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)

The countdown to the arrival of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is on, with three dates planned in Vancouver this December.

The superstar’s shows are expected to generate millions in economic activity in the city, and some condo owners are hoping to cash in on Swift-mania.

Units have been listed for rent during the Dec. 6, 7 and 8 concert dates for thousands of dollars – including a private bedroom listed for $2,000 per night, and a one-bedroom apartment listed for $10,000 for an extended weekend.

Ryan Dash owns a three-bedroom condo that’s a short drive from the BC Place concert venue, and decided to obtain a short-term rental licence after seeing how much money homes were being listed for during the tour.

He put his condo up for $3,200 per night, trying to suss out “what the market will bear,” said Dash, who is a Realtor.

“Some of the (listing prices) are pie in the sky,” Dash added. “But some of them, when you consider … the hotels being all booked out, it's a function of supply and demand at this point."

His rental offer includes an even bigger incentive – a pair of Taylor Swift tickets, which he bought for $2,400. He’s offering them along with his rental for $4,000.

According to the City of Vancouver, as long as people have the proper short-term rental licence and are listing their principal residence, these high-priced rentals are permitted.

Cole Seibert has already cashed in on the Swift concert weekend with his Chinatown condo.

"When Taylor Swift came up, I told my dad about it, and I told him what price I had,” said Seibert. “He was immediately like, ‘That's too low and you need to double it.’”

He normally charges around $250 a night but for the Eras Tour weekend, he managed to secure upwards of $800 per night.

Hotels in Vancouver are still available on Hotels.ca, but they aren’t cheap.

Most listings for downtown Vancouver are at least $1,500 per night for the December tour dates.