Short-Term Rental Permits and Registration Numbers: US, Canada and UK

More and more cities, provinces and countries now ask short-term rental hosts for a permit, licence or registration number, and many require that number on every listing. Airbnb and Vrbo increasingly check it before a listing goes live. Your own booking page counts as a listing too: in Quebec and Scotland, for example, the rules cover any advertisement, not only the big platforms.

This guide covers the main schemes in the US, Canada and the UK, and how to show your number on a direct booking page.

Short-term rental rules change quickly and differ by city, county and province. The details below were correct at the time of writing (October 2026) according to the official sources linked. Treat this guide as a starting point, not legal advice, and check with your local authority before you take bookings.

What a permit or registration usually involves

The names vary (STR permit, home-sharing registration, business licence, tourist accommodation registration, short-term let licence) but most schemes ask for similar things:

• Proof of who you are and that you may rent the property: ownership, or the landlord's or condo board's consent.
• Where you live: many cities only allow short-term rentals in your principal residence.
• Safety: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, fire extinguisher, exits, sometimes an inspection.
• Insurance: liability cover, sometimes at a minimum amount.
• Tax registration: an occupancy or lodging tax account. See our guide to occupancy and lodging taxes on direct bookings.
• A fee and a renewal date: most registrations last a year.

In return you get a number, and in many places that number must appear in every advert for the property.

United States: mostly city and county rules

There's no national short-term rental register in the US. Rules are set by cities and counties, sometimes with a state layer on top. Some examples:

• New York City. Under Local Law 18, hosts offering stays of fewer than 30 days must register with the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement. Platforms may not process bookings for unregistered listings. In most cases the host must live in the home and be present during the stay, with no more than two guests.
• Los Angeles. The Home-Sharing Ordinance requires hosts to register with the City and renew each year. A short-term rental may not be listed anywhere without a valid registration number, and listings without one can lead to citations and fines.
• Florida. Hosts of most vacation rentals need a licence from the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, separate tax registrations with the state and county, and sometimes a local permit too.

Many other cities, from Chicago and San Francisco to small beach towns, have their own registration, caps on nights, or zoning limits. Search your city or county website for "short-term rental" or "transient rental", and check homeowner association or condo rules as well. They can ban short stays even where the city allows them.

Canada: provincial registries and municipal licences

Quebec (CITQ)

Under Quebec's Tourist Accommodation Act, anyone offering stays of 31 days or less must register the unit with the CITQ (Corporation de l'industrie touristique du Québec), including hosts renting their principal residence. Before registering, hosts typically need a notice of compliance from the municipality confirming the use is allowed under local zoning. The registration is valid for 12 months, and the registration number and its expiry date must be shown in listings and advertising. Platforms must check the number before listing a unit.

Municipal rules sit on top of this. Montreal, for example, now limits principal-residence rentals to a summer period and bans them in some boroughs. See the CITQ website for registration.

British Columbia

BC's provincial short-term rental registry requires hosts to register with the Province and renew every year. A valid provincial registration number must appear on every online listing, and since 1 June 2025 platforms have had to remove listings without one and cancel their bookings. In many communities a principal-residence requirement also applies, and the city or regional district may require its own business licence number too. See the BC short-term rental registry for current fees and requirements.

Other provinces and cities

Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and many other municipalities run their own registration or licensing schemes, usually with a number to display, and some provinces have their own registries. Check your municipality's website.

The federal tax angle

Since the 2024 tax year, the Canada Revenue Agency denies income tax deductions for non-compliant short-term rentals: properties rented for less than 90 consecutive days where the province or municipality doesn't allow short-term rentals, or where the host hasn't met the required registration, licensing or permit rules. Losing deductions for mortgage interest, cleaning and insurance can cost far more than the permit. See the CRA's explanation.

United Kingdom: Scotland licenses, England is next

Scotland: short-term let licence

Since 1 October 2023, every short-term let in Scotland needs a licence from the local council before taking guests. Licence conditions say that any listing or advert, electronic or otherwise, must include:

• the licence number;
• the maximum number of guests allowed;
• a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating, where the property needs one.

Scottish licence numbers follow a set pattern: two letters for the council, five digits, and a final letter for the licence type. In Edinburgh and other control areas, you may also need planning permission to let a property that isn't your home. See the Scottish Government guidance for hosts.

England

England is introducing a national short-term let registration scheme, but at the time of writing it isn't in force, and the latest government guidance points to a launch in 2027. Until then, check your council's rules. In London, letting a whole home for more than 90 nights a year generally needs planning permission.

Wales and Northern Ireland

• Wales: a national register of visitor accommodation providers, run by the Welsh Revenue Authority, is being introduced alongside the new visitor levy. All providers must register, whether or not their council charges the levy.
• Northern Ireland: self-catering accommodation must be certified by Tourism NI before it can operate.

How to show your number on your booking page

Where a number is required in adverts, treat your own booking page like any other listing:

1. Put the number where guests and inspectors can find it, near the property details or in the page footer, labelled with its official name ("CITQ no.", "Licence number", "STR permit").
2. Add what else the rules require. Quebec asks for the expiry date; Scotland asks for the maximum number of guests and the EPC rating.
3. Use the same number everywhere. It should match your Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com listings exactly.
4. Repeat it in confirmations if your local rules ask for it on contracts or receipts.
5. Set a renewal reminder. Most registrations last a year. An expired number can get your listings removed in the middle of the season.

A visible number also helps with bookings. It tells guests booking directly that you're a real, licensed host, which is exactly what they worry about when they leave the big platforms.

Showing your number on OpenSty

OpenSty gives each property its own booking page, and you can add your permit or registration number in the property's policies. Once you set the property's country, it suggests the usual label for your region (such as "STR permit", "CITQ" or "Licence number"), and the number appears on your public page. You confirm every booking request yourself, and there's no commission. Plans start at €14 a month, and checkout shows the price in your local currency where available. Read how to get direct bookings for the next steps.

Common questions

Do I need a permit to take direct bookings?

If your city, province or country requires one for short-term rentals, yes. The rules apply to the stay, not to the booking channel, so a direct booking needs the same permit as one made on Airbnb.

Does my own website have to show my registration number?

In many places, yes. Quebec and Scotland require the number in any advertisement, and cities such as Los Angeles prohibit listing an unregistered rental anywhere. Even where it's optional, showing it builds trust.

What's a CITQ number?

It's the registration number Quebec's tourism industry corporation issues to tourist accommodation, including short-term rentals of 31 days or less. It's valid for 12 months and must be shown with its expiry date in listings.

Do I need a licence for a holiday let in England?

Not at the time of writing. England plans a national registration scheme, expected in 2027. Local planning rules, such as London's 90-night limit for whole homes, already apply.