Former B.C. licensee surrenders licence amid BCFSA short-term rental investigation

Sourced photo of Matthew Kuras.

Former Vancouver real estate licensee Matthew Kuras has surrendered his licence as the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) continues investigating an alleged short-term rental scheme.

Kuras has been under investigation since 2025 for allegations that include leasing multiple condo units under false pretenses, then subleasing them as short-term rentals without the owners’ consent.

The regulator issued a consumer alert June 4 warning the public not to make payments to Kuras, saying it has received recent complaints from Lower Mainland property owners alleging he is demanding additional fees and withholding rent payments.

BCFSA said Kuras is no longer authorized to provide real estate services and advised tenants to work directly with their landlords.

On May 22, Kuras surrendered his real estate licence and was terminated from TRG – The Residential Group Tri-Cities Realty Ltd./TRG The Residential Group Realty Property Management. 

According to BCFSA, the termination was related to property management services allegedly being conducted through MetroVan Realty, operating as MetroVan Realty Property Management, an entity the regulator says has never been licensed to conduct real estate transactions in British Columbia.

Kuras was first licensed to trade real estate in 2006, and in 2009 became licensed to provide property managment services.

The allegations 

The regulator is investigating allegations that Kuras rented out multiple properties as short-term accommodations without owners’ consent, provided real estate services outside his brokerage through an unlicensed entity, falsified contractual documents, exposed owners to fines during his tenancies and made false or misleading statements in a licence renewal application.

Complaints dating from July 2023 to September 2025 involve at least six different strata units, which were alleged to have been rented by Kuras and then used as short-term rentals on platforms such as Airbnb, resulting in the property owners receiving fines from strata corporations and the City of Vancouver.

While BCFSA does not regulate short-term rentals directly, rental property managers must be licensed and provide services through a brokerage.

Regulator sought banking records and documents

As part of its investigation, BCFSA has required Kuras to provide banking records related to funds transferred and received by Kuras and MetroVan Rent Disbursement between Jan. 1, 2023, and April 1, 2025.

The regulator has also sought rental agreements, contracts, payment records and related documents connected to the properties under investigation.

According to BCFSA, Kuras has refused to cooperate with investigators despite repeated attempts to obtain records required for the investigation.

That issue has already resulted in enforcement action.

In 2025, BCFSA issued a notice of administrative penalty totalling $27,000 against Kuras for allegedly failing to comply with the regulator’s investigation. BCFSA has not said whether Kuras has paid that fine.

Discipline decision still pending

BCFSA also held a discipline hearing March 19 and 20 to address allegations that Kuras committed professional misconduct by failing or refusing to provide documents and information requested by investigators and otherwise failing to cooperate with the investigation.

A liability decision from that hearing remains pending.

The regulator is encouraging tenants, landlords and others with information related to Kuras’ activities to contact BCFSA as the investigation continues.

“BCFSA will investigate if a licensee engages in conduct that is contrary to the best interests of the public, undermines public confidence in the real estate industry, or brings the real estate industry into disrepute,” the authority said.

The allegations against Kuras have not been proven and remain under investigation.

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