Short-Term Rentals Toronto: Rules for Renters in 2026

In Toronto, a short-term rental is a stay of less than 28 consecutive days. It's only legal in the host's principal residence and must carry a City registration number (STR-0000-XXXXXX) in the listing. Longer furnished stays aren't short-term rentals under the bylaw, and whether Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) protects you depends on whether the place is your home or temporary accommodation.

Here's what that means if you're the one looking for a furnished place, whether for a few weeks after landing or a few months during a work term.

Key takeaways

Under 28 consecutive nights = short-term rental under Toronto's bylaw.
Principal residence only. Hosts can rent out the home they actually live in, not investment units.
Look for the registration number. No number, no booking.
Entire homes can be rented short-term for at most 180 nights a year.
The RTA generally doesn't cover seasonal or temporary accommodation, or homes where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner.
Sublets are different: a tenant leaves temporarily and plans to return, with the landlord's consent.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, contact the Landlord and Tenant Board or a community legal clinic through Legal Aid Ontario or Steps to Justice.

Toronto's short-term rental rules, in plain terms

The City's rules are aimed at hosts, but knowing them helps you spot a listing that shouldn't exist.

The 28-night threshold

A short-term rental is all or part of a dwelling rented for less than 28 consecutive days in exchange for payment. That includes bed and breakfasts but excludes hotels, motels and student residences owned or run by publicly funded or non-profit schools. A stay of 28 consecutive days or more isn't a short-term rental under the bylaw.

Principal residence

Short-term rentals are only allowed in the operator's principal residence: the home they live in and use for bills, ID, taxes and insurance. A person can only have one, so they can't legally run more than one short-term rental. Owners and renters can both qualify. In a duplex or triplex, the host can only short-term rent the unit they live in.

Registration and limits

Operators must register with the City and renew every year. The City-issued number must appear in the listing.
Only one registration per dwelling unit is allowed.
Hosts register either as entire-unit (the host isn't there during your stay) or partial-unit (the host lives there and rents rooms).
An entire home can be rented for a maximum of 180 nights per calendar year. Partial-unit hosts can rent up to three bedrooms for an unlimited number of nights, but can't rent out the whole unit at once.
Platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com must be licensed by the City.

What a guest is entitled to

A 24-hour contact person during your stay.
A posted diagram of the building's exits, physically displayed in the rental.
No discrimination based on grounds such as race, citizenship, sex, gender identity, age, family status or disability, including refusing a guest with a service animal.

You can call 311 or submit a complaint online if a short-term rental is unregistered, isn't the host's principal residence, is unsafe or is a nuisance.

When the RTA applies to longer furnished stays

Many newcomers, students and contract workers look for furnished places for one to six months. The key question is whether you're getting a tenancy covered by the RTA or temporary accommodation that isn't.

The RTA covers most rental housing in Ontario, including apartments, houses, basement units and rooms in rooming houses. It generally doesn't apply when:

the accommodation is used on a seasonal or temporary basis, such as a hotel, cottage or vacation rental
you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner or the owner's close family members who live there

Furniture on its own isn't one of those exemptions. What matters is the nature of the arrangement. A furnished apartment you rent as your home for several months, with monthly rent, looks very different from a weekend platform booking.

Why it matters: if the RTA applies, you get protections like the Ontario Standard Lease, deposit limits (last month's rent and a refundable key deposit only), notice rules and the right to a hearing before any eviction. If it doesn't, your rights mostly come from your contract.

Practical steps:

Ask the landlord directly: "Is this a tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act?" and "Will I share a kitchen or bathroom with you?"
Ask for the Ontario Standard Lease. It's required for most private residential tenancies.
Read any "short-term" or "vacation" wording carefully. If a place you'll live in as your home is labelled temporary, get advice from the LTB or a legal clinic before you sign or pay.
Our guide to Ontario tenant rights covers what you get when the RTA applies, and living with your landlord explains the shared-kitchen exemption.

Sublets versus short-term stays

These get mixed up in listings, but they're different arrangements.

	Sublet	Short-term rental
Length	Any length, often 2–12 months	Under 28 consecutive days
Who offers it	A tenant who's leaving temporarily and plans to return	A host renting their principal residence
Permission needed	Landlord's consent (which can't be unreasonably refused)	City registration
Who you pay	The original tenant, who keeps paying the landlord	The host, usually through a platform
Typical booking	Direct agreement	Platform listing with an STR number

If you're subletting, ask to see the tenant's lease and written proof the landlord consented. A tenant who's leaving permanently is doing an assignment, not a sublet, and you'd take over their lease. Our guide to sublets and assignments in Ontario walks through both.

One more thing for renters thinking of hosting: the City doesn't require a tenant to get landlord consent to register a short-term rental, but recommends confirming that your lease allows it or getting written consent, because your landlord can still take tenancy issues to the LTB. Condo rules may ban short-term rentals outright. And tell your insurer first; renting your home out without disclosing it can void your coverage. See tenant insurance in Ontario.

How to avoid short-term rental scams

Fake furnished listings target people who can't view in person. Watch for these signs:

No STR registration number, or one that doesn't match the address. The City publishes active registration numbers on its Open Data portal.
Payment outside the platform: requests for e-transfer, wire or crypto, or for a deposit before any agreement exists.
Price far below similar listings in the same area.
A host who can't meet or show the unit, often claiming to be abroad.
Photos that appear elsewhere, including on other short-term listings. A reverse image search takes a minute.
Pressure to decide now because "others are interested".
Links to sites asking for banking or personal details.

Safer habits:

Book and pay through the platform, and keep all messages there.
For longer stays booked directly, view in person or by live video with the person who'll sign the lease, and verify their identity.
Never pay before you've seen the place (or a live video of it) and have a written agreement.
If you're scammed, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and Toronto Police, and to the platform.

Our guide to Toronto rental scams has a longer checklist, and the rental viewing checklist helps once you're standing in the unit.

Bottom line

For stays under 28 nights, book only registered short-term rentals in a host's principal residence and pay through the platform. For longer furnished stays, find out whether you're getting an RTA tenancy, ask for the standard lease, and treat sublets as agreements that need the landlord's consent.

Planning a longer stay with others? ColivEase matches roommates on area, commute, budget, move-in date, student or worker status and shared language. Every listing is reviewed by a person, chats flag common scam lines and the exact address stays private until an application is accepted. It's free to start on ColivEase.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a short-term rental in Toronto?

Under the City of Toronto's rules, a short-term rental is all or part of a home rented for less than 28 consecutive days in exchange for payment. It includes bed and breakfasts but not hotels, motels or student residences run by publicly funded or non-profit schools. Stays of 28 consecutive days or more aren't short-term rentals under the bylaw.

How do I know a Toronto short-term rental is legal?

Check that the listing shows a City-issued registration number in the format STR-0000-XXXXXX. Short-term rentals are only allowed in the operator's principal residence, and the City advises against booking any listing without a registration number. You can report unregistered or unsafe short-term rentals to 311.

Does the Residential Tenancies Act apply to a furnished monthly rental?

It depends on the arrangement, not the furniture. The Act generally doesn't apply to accommodation used on a seasonal or temporary basis, such as hotels, cottages or vacation rentals, or where you share a kitchen or bathroom with the owner. If you're renting a place as your home for months, ask the LTB or a legal clinic whether you're covered.

Is a sublet the same as a short-term rental?

No. A sublet is when a tenant moves out for a period, plans to return, and lets someone else live there with the landlord's consent. A short-term rental is a stay of under 28 consecutive days, often booked through a platform, that must be registered with the City and be the operator's principal residence.

How can I avoid short-term rental scams in Toronto?

Book and pay through the platform rather than by e-transfer or wire to a host, check for a valid STR registration number, reverse-search the photos, and be wary of prices far below similar listings or hosts who push you to move the conversation elsewhere. Report fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and local police.