Maintain your certified host status

Staying Compliant

After you get a short-term rental certificate, you must:

  • Remain the permanent resident at the dwelling where you host short-term rentals. If you sell your dwelling unit, the certificate cannot be transferred to the new owner or a different dwelling unit. Only one Permanent Resident may be associated with a Residential Unit on the Registry, and it shall be unlawful for any other person, even if that person meets the qualifications of a "Permanent Resident," to offer a Residential Unit for Short-Term Residential Rental.
  • Stay under the limits: "Unhosted" stays (when you are not home overnight) are limited to 90 total nights per year. "Hosted" stays (when you are home overnight) are not limited. You may not offer more than 5 individual short-term rental reservations within your dwelling unit (i.e. offer no more than 5 individual beds as separate, bookable listings).
  • Report all of your stays at the end of each quarter to the Office of Short-Term Rentals (see below).
  • Pay your hotel taxes: Transient occupancy taxes ("hotel taxes") apply to short-term rentals. If the hosting platform you are using does not automatically remit taxes to the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector, you will need to ensure that taxes are remitted. Please be aware that additional State and Federal income taxes may also apply. Please contact SF311 (311 on your phone) for questions regarding hotel taxes.
  • Pay your business personal property taxes: You are required to pay taxes on personal property used by your guests, in your rental , such as furniture, kitchen appliances, supplies, and equipment. For more information, download the Assessor-Recorder Short Term Rental FAQ.
  • Renew your business registration certificate with the Office of the Treasure & Tax Collector yearly.
  • Renew your registration with the Office of Short Term Rentals every two years.
  • Ensure your property (including other dwellings if your unit is within a tenancy in common [TIC] building) remains free of violations of Building, Housing, Planning, and all other City codes. No exterior signage is allowed as short-term rentals are intended to remain incident to the residential nature of the dwelling unit. In addition, a certificate can be revoked due to ongoing noise/event/party complaints.
Fines and penalties for illegal short-term rental hosting

Violations of the City’s short-term rental laws are subject to penalties of at least $484 per day for each dwelling unit in violation. These daily penalties begin on the day that a Notice of Violation is issued by the Office of Short-Term Rentals, and continue to accrue until the violation is fully abated. Repeat violations may be subject to escalated penalties and referral to the City’s Attorney’s Office for additional civil and/or criminal penalties.

Report your short-term stays four times a year

To maintain good standing as a certified short-term rental host, you must submit a quarterly report to the Office of Short-Term Rentals. The quarters begin on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 of each year. At the end of each quarter, you have 30 days to report the number of
nights you have rented your unit (hosted and unhosted) as a short-term rental. This requirement applies no matter which hosting platform/website you use. Registered hosts must still report no stays if no short-term rentals occurred within the quarterly reporting period.

Report Stays Now

Renewing your certification

Your certificate will be valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance, provided that you remain in "good standing" as a host. If you wish to continue to offer your unit for short-term rental at the end of this initial two-year period, you will want to submit your renewal application in advance of your expiration date to avoid a break in your certified status. Please do NOT submit a renewal application & new (current) application fee more than 30 days in advance of the expiration date.

Download Renewal Form

If You Decide to Stop Hosting Short-Term Rentals
  1. Remove all (online) listings that advertise your short-term rental, and cancel pending short-term rental reservations for stays of less than 30 days.
  2. Hosts may also choose to close their (separate) business registration certificate, by filling out this form with the Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector to declare that you are no longer hosting.
  3. Complete this form with the Office of the Assessor-Recorder. Depending on the date of your business closure, you may still need to declare business personal property taxes for the current year. Business personal property taxes are separate from hotel taxes (transient occupancy taxes).
  4. Email the Office of Short-Term Rentals with the following information:
    • Your STR certificate number
    • Your street address
    • Your full name
    • A statement that you no longer intend to host short-term rentals