Running short-term rentals in Toronto, where every listing needs a City registration number
If you manage or clean short-term rentals in Toronto, you work under a City bylaw that allows them only in a principal residence, charges $390 to register, and lets an entire home be rented for at most 180 nights per calendar year. Platforms need their own City licence, and on stays that began on August 1, 2026 or later the Municipal Accommodation Tax is 6 per cent. Upbridge's AI operations assistant, Cleo, works over WhatsApp with vacation rental operators and cleaning companies and organizes the cleanings and the inventory for each place.
The rules here
These come from the City of Toronto's own pages, which we read on October 24, 2026. Amounts are in Canadian dollars.
| Topic | What it says | Status | Since | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal residence | Short-term rentals are permitted only in principal residences. Operators pay a registration fee of $390, which is non-refundable and can increase each year, and must post the City-issued registration number on every advertisement and listing, and on invoices, contracts and receipts for the rental. | In force | Page updated September 16, 2026 | City of Toronto |
| Night limit | Operators registered for entire-unit rentals may rent their property for a maximum of 180 nights per calendar year. | In force | Page updated September 16, 2026 | City of Toronto |
| Platforms | Every short-term rental company needs a City licence before it can operate in Toronto, with an annual application fee of $10,816. The company has to cancel all future reservations for unregistered operators within 24 hours of the request. | In force | Page updated September 16, 2026 | City of Toronto |
| Accommodation tax | Operators collect and remit a 6 per cent Municipal Accommodation Tax on stays beginning August 1, 2026, after a temporary rate of 8.5 per cent ended. Returns are filed quarterly, with payment due within 30 days of the end of the quarter. | In force | August 1, 2026 | City of Toronto |
| Penalties | An operator convicted after a summons can face a fine of up to $100,000, plus a daily fine of up to $10,000 for each day the violation continues. | In force | Page updated September 16, 2026 | City of Toronto |
We did not check provincial or federal sales tax for this page. This is not legal or tax advice, and Upbridge does not file anything for you: no registrations and no tax returns.
How it works on the ground
Because the City only allows rentals in a principal residence, the person who lives in the home is usually the one handing it over, and the 180-night limit puts a ceiling on how many changeovers one entire home can have in a year. A cleaning company with several clients can add those ceilings up when it plans its staff.
The registration number has to appear on the listing and on the invoice, and a platform that gets a request has 24 hours to cancel the future bookings of an unregistered operator. If you manage homes for other people, the registration number belongs in your onboarding list next to the door code.
Toronto Pearson handled 47.3 million passengers in 2025, according to Wikipedia. The UP Express train reaches Union Station in 28 minutes, every 15 minutes, but Wikipedia gives its hours as 4:55 a.m. (6:00 a.m. on weekends) to 1:00 a.m. A guest on a later flight will take a car, so the directions you send should say what to do at 2:00 a.m. as well as at noon.
Where Upbridge fits
Upbridge can help a Toronto host or manager with the work between one booking and the next. Connect Guesty, Hostaway, Lodgify or Uplisting, or import an iCal feed, and every checkout creates a cleaning task with a room-by-room photo checklist. The cleaner reports missing items and damage from the phone, in WhatsApp or in the Upbridge app.
For the guest landing late at Pearson, we build the guest guide with directions and how to get in, and they open it on their phone. With a night limit on each home, inventory per property shows what is running low, because it is deducted after each stay.
If you run a cleaning company in Toronto
Most of your clients live in the home they rent out, so the calendar changes when their own plans change. With the cleaning company account every owner's calendar sits in one place, which lets you see all your clients' changeovers side by side while each client remains yours.
Questions about short-term rentals in Toronto
Can I list a second home or an investment condo in Toronto?
The City of Toronto says short-term rentals are permitted only in principal residences, on a page updated September 16, 2026. An operator convicted after a summons can face a fine of up to $100,000.
How much does it cost to register a short-term rental in Toronto?
The registration fee is $390, according to the City's page updated September 16, 2026. It is non-refundable and can increase each year.
How many nights can I rent my whole home in Toronto?
An operator registered for entire-unit rentals may rent the property for a maximum of 180 nights per calendar year.
More questions
What is the Toronto Municipal Accommodation Tax on a short-term rental?
It is 6 per cent on stays beginning August 1, 2026, after the temporary 8.5 per cent rate ended, and it is paid quarterly, within 30 days of the end of the quarter.
Sources
Checked on October 24, 2026
- City of Toronto, “Short-term rental operators and hosts”, updated September 16, 2026.
- City of Toronto, “Short-term rental companies”, updated September 16, 2026.
- City of Toronto, “Short-term rental Municipal Accommodation Tax”, updated August 11, 2026.
- UP Express, “Pearson Airport to downtown Toronto”, undated, read October 24, 2026.
- Wikipedia, “Union Pearson Express”, undated, read October 24, 2026.
- Wikipedia, “Toronto Pearson International Airport”, undated, read October 24, 2026.