Before you start: make sure you actually qualify
Registration is not a formality you can push through. The City is checking one thing above all: that the home is your principal residence, the place you actually live. If it is not, no amount of paperwork fixes it, and applying anyway can lock you out. If you are not certain you meet the basic rules, read is Airbnb legal in Toronto first, then come back here.
Two things to confirm before you spend a minute on the application:
- It is your principal residence. The home matches your ID, your bills, and your taxes. You get one. The details are in our principal residence rule guide.
- Nothing in your building or lease blocks it. City registration is separate from your building's rules. If you own in a condo, the corporation can prohibit short-term rentals and enforce that against you even when you are registered. If you rent, the City does not require your landlord's permission and will register you anyway, but your landlord can pursue eviction at the Landlord and Tenant Board if your lease bans it. Check before you list. See can I Airbnb my condo in Toronto.
Step 1: Gather your documents first
Have everything ready before you open the application, because a half-finished file is the most common reason registrations stall. You will need government-issued ID, two documents that prove the home is your principal residence, and an emergency contact who has signed a consent form. The exact list, including which kinds of ID and documents the City actually accepts, is laid out in our registration documents guide. Pull those together first.
Step 2: Run a pre-submission check before you pay
The application fee is non-refundable, and a denial can lock you out for a period of time. So the smartest step is to check your file against the City's requirements before you submit. Our free pre-submission check mirrors the City's actual form and flags the gaps that cause denials, in a couple of minutes, at no cost. If something is wrong, you want to find it now, not after you have paid and waited.
Step 3: Create your application in the City's online system
Toronto handles registration through its online short-term rental registration system. You create an account, start a new application, and enter your personal and property details. Everything is submitted online, and you upload the documents you gathered in Step 1. The City encourages operators to apply early, because application volume is high and processing times move with it.
Step 4: Enter your rental details and choose your rental type
The application asks you to describe the rental and to choose how you host, and this choice sets your night limit for the year:
- Entire home: you rent the whole place while you are away, capped at 180 nights per calendar year.
- Rooms in your home: you rent up to three bedrooms while you still live there, with no night cap.
Pick the one that matches how you actually operate. If you are unsure how the cap counts nights across Airbnb and Booking.com, our 180-night cap guide covers it.
Step 5: Pay the application fee
You pay the City registration fee of $390 by credit card at the time you submit. It is non-refundable and subject to an annual increase, so confirm the current amount in the system before you pay. Keep the receipt and your confirmation.
Step 6: Get your registration number and put it on your listings
Once your application is approved, the City issues you a registration number. This is the part that makes you legal to advertise. You must display that number on every listing, and in Toronto that means your Airbnb and Booking.com listings, the only two platforms the City licenses to operate. Both are required to check for a valid number, and a listing without one can be removed. Do not advertise or take bookings until the number is issued and posted.
After you register: what keeps it valid
Registration is not one and done. Three obligations keep it alive, and letting any of them slip can cost you the registration:
- Renew every year. Registration is annual and renews on your own date, not automatically. If it lapses, you cannot legally operate until you re-register.
- File the Municipal Accommodation Tax every quarter. You file even in a quarter with zero bookings, and an outstanding filing can block your renewal. See our MAT guide.
- Keep your records. The City can ask for your booking and residence records, so keep them organized and current.
The mistakes that delay or sink an application
Almost every stalled registration we see comes from the same handful of issues:
- Proof-of-residence documents that do not match the listing address.
- Submitting an incomplete file and assuming the City will follow up. It often does not.
- Registering a property that is not the operator's principal residence.
- Advertising before the registration number is issued.
- Ignoring a condo rule that bans short-term rentals, or a lease term your landlord can act on at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
Every one of these is avoidable if you check before you submit rather than after.
How Permit Ready Pros helps
If you would rather not gamble on a non-refundable fee, this is what we do. We check your file against the City's requirements before you pay, flag anything that would cause a denial, help you assemble the documents correctly, and then keep your registration on track year round, the renewal date, the quarterly tax filings, and the night count, so nothing lapses by accident. We do this for individual hosts and for property managers running multi-unit portfolios.
Check your file before you pay the City
Our free pre-submission check mirrors the City's form and flags your denial risks in about two minutes. No payment required.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register before I list on Airbnb or Booking.com?
Yes. You must register with the City of Toronto and display your registration number on your listing before you advertise or accept bookings. Airbnb and Booking.com are the only two City-licensed platforms, and both check for a valid number.
How much does it cost to register a short-term rental in Toronto?
The City of Toronto registration fee is $390, paid by credit card. It is non-refundable and subject to an annual increase, and the renewal fee is also $390.
How long does Toronto STR registration take?
It varies with application volume. The City encourages operators to apply early and submit complete, accurate documents, because incomplete files are the most common cause of delays.
Does my registration renew automatically?
No. Registration must be renewed every year on your own registration date. If it lapses, you cannot legally operate until you re-register, and an outstanding Municipal Accommodation Tax filing can block your renewal.