New Short-Term Rental Regulations Starting in September

New regulations for short-term rentals such as Airbnbs take effect on September 30 and will help make more long-term housing available.

“Nova Scotians need housing. We know many houses and apartments that could potentially be long-term homes are being rented short term,” said John Lohr, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We’re working to get more homes built. In the meantime, these changes will help address the urgent need for housing now.”

Regulations under the Short-term Rentals Registration Act include new registration requirements, host categories, rates and penalties.

Under the new registration requirements:

• all tourist accommodations and short-term rentals will be required to provide supporting documentation such as proof of compliance with municipal bylaws and, where applicable, written consent from the property owner(s) or condo board, and proof of primary residence
• annual registration rates range from $50 to $2,000 per unit depending on the accommodation type and location; higher rates apply to short-term rentals in areas where the need for housing is greater
• unregistered or non-compliant short-term rental operators may be subject to fines up to $100,000.

Annual registration rates for traditional tourist accommodations, such as motels, hotels and inns, are not changing.

The Province will engage external support to provide compliance monitoring services.

Information and updates on the new regulations are available at: https://novascotia.ca/changes-tourist-accommodations-registry/

Quick Facts:

• registration for the 2024-25 season will open in mid-August; applications should be received by September 16 to allow time for processing and approvals
• registration numbers for the 2023-24 season will not be valid after September 30
• platform operators such as Airbnb and Expedia also need to register by September 30
• the provincial housing needs assessment report projects there will be a shortage of 41,200 housing units by 2027-28
• as of July 23, 7,193 short-term rentals were registered with the Province

Additional Resources:

Register Your Tourist Accommodation website: https://beta.novascotia.ca/register-your-tourist-accommodation

Short-term Rentals Registration Regulations: https://novascotia.ca/just/regulations/regs/2024-158.pdf

The Short-term Rentals Registration Act will be available later today at: https://nslegislature.ca/legislative-business/bills-statutes/consolidated-public-statutes