Toronto short-term rental rules 2026: what hosts need to know about cleaning and turnovers

What counts as a short-term rental

The City defines a short-term rental as all or part of a dwelling unit rented for less than 28 consecutive days in exchange for payment. Hotels and motels are not covered.

Rent for 28 days or more and these short-term rental rules do not apply. Ontario's regular tenancy rules do.

The rules also reach the platforms. Any company that brokers short-term rental reservations online and takes payment for it needs a City licence to operate in Toronto. Your own registration number still goes in every listing you post on those platforms.

The principal residence rule

This is the core rule. On the City's operators page: short-term rentals are permitted only in principal residences.

• You must be 18 or older and live in the unit as your principal residence.
• You need an Ontario driver's licence or Ontario Photo Card with that Toronto address, plus at least two supporting documents, like utility bills or a lease.
• You can register only one principal residence, and there is only one registration per unit.
• A basement or laneway suite qualifies only if it is your own principal residence.
• The City may ask for an in-person interview.

An investment condo you don't live in cannot be a short-term rental in Toronto.

Registration, fees and the 180-night cap

• Registration costs $390, non-refundable, and renews every year. The 2026 renewal fee is also $390.
• Your number looks like STR-0000-XXXXXX. It must appear in every listing, and on invoices, contracts and receipts.
• When you register, you pick one type for the term. Entire unit: up to 180 nights per calendar year. Partial unit: up to three bedrooms, no night cap, and you can't rent the whole unit at once.
• The 180 nights reset on January 1.
• The Municipal Accommodation Tax is 6% on stays under 28 days, reported every quarter, even with no bookings.
• Condo bylaws still apply. Some buildings ban short-term rentals outright.

All of the above comes from the City's operators page, last modified in September 2026.

Inspections and fines

Since January 2025, approved registrations are subject to annual compliance inspections, with the operator present. If the City asks for proof of principal residence, you have 10 days.

Fines listed by the City include $1,000 for renting without registration or renting a unit that is not your principal residence, and $700 for going over 180 nights. In court, fines can go up to $100,000.

What the rules change for cleaning and turnovers

• Fewer stays, higher stakes. With an entire-unit registration, each night counts. A missed or late turnover costs a booking you can't make up later in the year.
• Shared spaces. Partial-unit hosts live on site. The clean covers the guest rooms plus the shared kitchen and bathroom, around your own schedule.
• Safety postings. The City requires emergency contact information and exit diagrams posted in the rental for each stay. Ask your cleaner to check they are still up at every turnover.
• Inspection-ready. An annual inspection is easier in a unit that is clean and documented. Turnover photos give you a running record.
• Records. The City asks hosts to keep three years of rental records. A dated photo report per turnover lines up with your night count.
• Condo rules. Many buildings ask for fob or elevator arrangements for service visits. Settle them once, in the house profile.

A short checklist before your next guest

• Your registration is active and renewed, and the number is in the listing.
• Your rental type (entire or partial unit) matches how you actually rent it.
• You track your nights against the 180-night cap if you rent the entire unit.
• Emergency contacts and exit diagrams are posted in the unit.
• Your condo corporation allows short-term rentals, in writing.
• Your cleaner has a house profile: access, fob, elevator, beds, supplies.
• You keep the photo report of every turnover with your rental records.

None of this is complicated. It just has to be done every time.

Turnovers for registered Toronto hosts

We clean for hosts across the GTA at one flat price per turnover, by home size, with photos before each check-in. See what a turnover costs in Toronto.

We cover Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, Downtown Toronto, Mississauga and Markham.

General information, not legal advice. The City's rules change: check toronto.ca before you list.