If you’re in the market to rent a condo in Vancouver or Richmond get ready for some sticker shock and heavy competition.  Rents have been going up at a fairly brisk pace over the past 18 months and the competition for the good units is heating up. There are a number of reasons for the increase, the biggest one is simply supply is low and demand to live in Vancouver is high. I’m also hearing about the massive popularity of web sites like www.airbnb.com and the effect they are having on increased rents in many N. American cities.