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City of San Francisco short-term rental law
Under San Francisco’s law governing short-term rentals, owners wishing to operate a short-term rental must obtain a Short-Term Residential Rental Certificate and Business Registration Certificate from the City.
I only rent my home on a monthly basis, do I need to register or add a certificate number?
Short-term rental requirements apply to properties rented for less than 30 consecutive nights. If you rent your property exclusively for 30 consecutive nights or more, you do not need to register with the City as a short-term rental. You must, however, set your minimum night stay requirement to 30 nights. Please consult the San Francisco Office of Short-Term Rentals to learn more about the City’s rules for rentals of more than 30 consecutive nights.
I have applied to the City for my Short-Term Rental Certificate, but have yet to receive my STR number. What can I do to make sure my listing remains live?
If you have an application pending with the City you can note this information in the registration field of our pass-through registration portal. To do this go to your account, select your listing, and choose edit listing. On the description tab, look for “first-time registration” and click on the “visit registration page” link. On the registration portal, you will see an option to enter a certificate number. In this field add the words “Application Pending”. Add the current date in the expiration date field. You must return to the pass-through registration portal to add your STR certificate number when you receive it from the City.
If you have an application pending with the City but did not provide that information before a deadline that resulted in your listing being suspended from Vrbo, you will need to add this information as noted above and then contact CS to reinstate your listing.
I have multiple listings in San Francisco, do I need to complete registration for all of them?
You must complete Vrbo's online registration process, or provide a certificate number and expiration date in the mandatory field, for each property in San Francisco that you wish to rent on a short-term basis. Under the law, owners can rent out their primary residence only, which is where they live for a minimum of 275 nights per year.
What if I need to change any information I submitted as part of the registration process?
Contact OSTR, if you need to make any changes.
What happens while I wait for my registration to be approved?
If you have applied via Vrbo's registration portal, you can continue to list and book as usual while the City processes your application. “Registration pending” will appear on your listing while the City is processing your application.
What happens to my listing if I do not register?
Listings for properties without a registration number or “registration pending” status by the applicable deadline will be suspended from Vrbo's websites.
What happens when my registration application is approved?
The City will inform you once a decision has been made about your application. If your application is approved, Vrbo will update your listing to include your certificate number.
What happens if my registration application is not approved?
If the City does not approve your application for a certificate, or if it revokes a certificate, you may file a written appeal within thirty days from the date of the notice of rejection or revocation. For further information, please review these procedures. If your application is not approved or is revoked, your listing will be suspended from Vrbo's websites. In addition, future traveler bookings will be canceled, and funds controlled by Vrbo will be returned to the traveler.
What are the reasons the City would reject my registration?
The City can reject your application if you do not meet eligibility requirements.
Do I need to renew my registration?
You can review how to stay compliant with rules and requirements. You need to renew your registration certificate every year with the Treasurer & Tax Collector. You also need to renew your Residential Rental Certificate every two years.
Who needs a Short-Term Rental Certificate
Short-term rental is defined as renting a property for less than 30 consecutive nights at a time. Each property rented on a short-term basis must be registered with the City. Owners and managers can learn more about short-term rental requirements, and whether they qualify, through the San Francisco Office of Short-Term Rentals (OSTR). You can also review our frequently asked questions below.
How to apply for a Short-Term Rental Certificate
You can apply for a Short-Term Residential Rental Certificate and Business Registration Certificate either through Vrbo's website or directly with the City of San Francisco’s Office of Short-Term Rentals.
To complete your application for a certificate via Vrbo's website:
To complete your application for a certificate via Vrbo's website:
- Sign in to your account.
- Select your San Francisco listing.
- Choose Edit listing.
- On the Description tab, navigate to First-time registration.
- Select Visit registration page.
The information you provide will be sent to the City for the purpose of applying for a Short-Term Rental Certificate and Business Registration Certificate.
Deadline and Cost
Registration via Vrbo's website will be introduced in a phased process. You will be informed of the specific deadline that applies to you.
The City charges a $250 non-refundable application fee for your Short-Term Residential Rental Certificate. If approved, your application is good for two years. If denied, your $250 application fee is not refundable.
The City charges a $250 non-refundable application fee for your Short-Term Residential Rental Certificate. If approved, your application is good for two years. If denied, your $250 application fee is not refundable.
Add a Short-Term Rental Certificate to your listing
If you obtain a certificate directly from the City, you must add your certificate number and its expiration date to a mandatory field on your listing. You may have already included the certificate number in the listing as part of the description or title, but you must also include it in a new mandatory field.
To enter your certificate number and expiration date:
To enter your certificate number and expiration date:
- Sign in to your account.
- Select your San Francisco listing.
- Choose Edit listing.
- On the Description tab, navigate to First-time registration.
- Select Visit registration page.
- On the registration portal, you will see an option to enter a certificate number.
- Note: The format for the Short-Term Rental Certificate number is STR-#######. An example could be STR-1234567.
Frequently asked questions
I only rent my home on a monthly basis, do I need to register or add a certificate number?
Short-term rental requirements apply to properties rented for less than 30 consecutive nights. If you rent your property exclusively for 30 consecutive nights or more, you do not need to register with the City as a short-term rental. You must, however, set your minimum night stay requirement to 30 nights. Please consult the San Francisco Office of Short-Term Rentals to learn more about the City’s rules for rentals of more than 30 consecutive nights.
I have applied to the City for my Short-Term Rental Certificate, but have yet to receive my STR number. What can I do to make sure my listing remains live?
If you have an application pending with the City you can note this information in the registration field of our pass-through registration portal. To do this go to your account, select your listing, and choose edit listing. On the description tab, look for “first-time registration” and click on the “visit registration page” link. On the registration portal, you will see an option to enter a certificate number. In this field add the words “Application Pending”. Add the current date in the expiration date field. You must return to the pass-through registration portal to add your STR certificate number when you receive it from the City.
If you have an application pending with the City but did not provide that information before a deadline that resulted in your listing being suspended from Vrbo, you will need to add this information as noted above and then contact CS to reinstate your listing.
I have multiple listings in San Francisco, do I need to complete registration for all of them?
You must complete Vrbo's online registration process, or provide a certificate number and expiration date in the mandatory field, for each property in San Francisco that you wish to rent on a short-term basis. Under the law, owners can rent out their primary residence only, which is where they live for a minimum of 275 nights per year.
What if I need to change any information I submitted as part of the registration process?
Contact OSTR, if you need to make any changes.
What happens while I wait for my registration to be approved?
If you have applied via Vrbo's registration portal, you can continue to list and book as usual while the City processes your application. “Registration pending” will appear on your listing while the City is processing your application.
What happens to my listing if I do not register?
Listings for properties without a registration number or “registration pending” status by the applicable deadline will be suspended from Vrbo's websites.
What happens when my registration application is approved?
The City will inform you once a decision has been made about your application. If your application is approved, Vrbo will update your listing to include your certificate number.
What happens if my registration application is not approved?
If the City does not approve your application for a certificate, or if it revokes a certificate, you may file a written appeal within thirty days from the date of the notice of rejection or revocation. For further information, please review these procedures. If your application is not approved or is revoked, your listing will be suspended from Vrbo's websites. In addition, future traveler bookings will be canceled, and funds controlled by Vrbo will be returned to the traveler.
What are the reasons the City would reject my registration?
The City can reject your application if you do not meet eligibility requirements.
Do I need to renew my registration?
You can review how to stay compliant with rules and requirements. You need to renew your registration certificate every year with the Treasurer & Tax Collector. You also need to renew your Residential Rental Certificate every two years.