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When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it's important for you to understand the laws in your city. As a platform and marketplace we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide some useful links that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Toronto. This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you a good start in understanding your local laws. If you have questions, contact the City of Toronto’s Short-Term Rentals Office or other city agencies directly, or consult a local lawyer or tax professional.
Registration is required to host in Toronto. Register now to continue hosting short-term stays.
Under the City of Toronto Short-Term Rental Bylaw (PG24.8), short-term rentals are permitted in Toronto if your listing is your principal residence. Hosts are required to register with the city and post their registration number on their listing, or claim a valid reason for exemption, in order to comply with the ordinance.
Listings without a valid registration number or exemption posted will be blocked from hosting short-term stays (less than 28 nights at a time) in Toronto.
You can learn more about what’s required for your listing in the sections below.
For further details about what’s required to host in Toronto, visit the City of Toronto’s Planning & Development Department’s Short-Term Rentals page.
If you host your principal residence, you’ll need to register your listing with the City of Toronto. You can do this on the city’s website. Your principal residence is where you live and the address you use for bills, identification, taxes and insurance. You can short-term rent in any housing type, for example house, apartment or condominium, as long as it is your principal residence.
To register, you’ll need to provide the following:
Once you submit your registration, the city will review your application. If your application is approved, a registration number will be generated and emailed to you within five (5) business days, which you’ll need to add to your listing to comply with the requirements.
If your application is denied, the city will contact you and you will have an opportunity to provide evidence and information to explain why your registration should not be denied.
If you’re a renter or lessee, you are eligible to register if the unit is your principal residence. You should comply with your responsibilities under the Residential Tenancies Act and your lease agreement.
You can short-term rent a secondary suite or laneway suite if you are the principal resident of the suite. Secondary suites must be permitted by zoning bylaws and comply with Building Code and Fire Code requirements.
Second homes, investment properties and vacation rentals are not eligible to register as short-term rentals. If you’d like to continue receiving bookings, you can switch to long-term stays (28 or more nights). You can update this in your availability settings.
B&Bs are subject to the rules for short-term rentals, and must register with the city and display a registration number on their listing.
If you host a hotel or motel, your listing is exempt from registration.
If you only accept bookings for 28 or more nights at a time, you are not required to register your listing or take any action on Airbnb. If you’d like to switch to long-term stays, you can update this in your availability settings.
Once you have registered as a short-term rental operator, you must:
Your registration is valid for one year from the date that your registration is approved and must be renewed annually. You can renew your registration online, and there is a renewal fee of $50.
If you host your entire home, local laws in Toronto require that you only host guests in your place for a maximum of 180 nights per calendar year. Private rooms are exempt from this requirement.
Airbnb is required to share some short-term rental listing information of hosts in order to comply with the city’s Short-Term Rental Bylaw. The information shared can only be used to make sure your listing is in compliance with the short-term rental regulations, and will not be shared with any other government agencies.
The obligation to share data only refers to listings that register under the city’s Short-Term Rental Bylaw.
No data will be shared regarding the following accommodations:
Airbnb will share the following transaction data for listings that provide a short-term rental registration number:
The obligation to report data to the City of Toronto is a continuing one.
The City of Toronto imposes a four (4) percent Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) for stays of 28 nights or less. Airbnb will collect and remit the MAT beginning January 1, 2021, and will provide more information to hosts when this process is available. For more information about the MAT, visit the City's Short-Term Rentals page.