Registration for short-term rentals begins in Toronto today
Registration for short-term rentals in Toronto begins today.
The city has launched a new online registration system for short-term rental operators who rent their homes for a period of less than 28 consecutive days.
On Thursday, the city said that short-term rental operators must register in order to operate in Toronto.
Operators are also only allowed to rent their principal residence on a short-term basis — a principal residence is the residence where they live and the address used for bills, identification, taxes, and insurance.
And registration for short-term rentals must be completed online.
“Registration is a necessary first step to allow the city to effectively administer the new rules applicable to short-term rentals,” Mayor John Tory said in a statement.
“Staff has created an innovative, customer-focused, end-to-end digital registration experience as part of the city’s modernization efforts to make services easier to use and more accessible. The registration service is setting a new standard for a positive customer experience and will be improved further based on feedback.”
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According to the city, registration is a mandatory step to legally rent out homes for short-term stays. And a valid city-issued registration number must be included in all advertisements and listings.
In order to continue short-term renting, current operators must be registered by December 31 and future operators will be able to register on an ongoing basis, but must do so before short-term renting their homes.
It is relatively simple for operators to register online — they will just need a government-issued identification and show evidence of the principal residence.
In Toronto, short-term rentals are regulated by the city’s zoning bylaws and the city will continue to monitor and respond to complaints for short-term rental issues.