Short-term rental rules across the GTA, compared
Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham each set their own rule for whether a stay under 30 days is even legal to list. Here's what each city actually requires, sourced from each city's own page.
Short answer: Toronto, Mississauga, and Vaughan license short-term rentals out of a host's principal residence only, each with its own fee, night cap, and accommodation tax. Richmond Hill has no bylaw yet. Markham doesn't permit stays under 30 days as-of-right anywhere in the city. Mississauga is currently the most actively enforced, with new federal funding and higher penalties as of November 2025.
What each city actually allows
Stays under 30 days: Yes, principal residence only
Licence: $390/year registration
Cap: 180 nights/year (entire unit); unlimited for a room only
Insurance: Not specified in registration requirements
MAT: 6%
toronto.ca →Stays under 30 days: Yes, principal residence only
Licence: $283/year licence
Cap: 180 nights/year, all platforms combined
Insurance: $2,000,000 commercial general liability
MAT: 6%
mississauga.ca →Stays under 30 days: Yes, principal residence (or a room in it) only
Licence: Short-Term Rental Licence, By-law 158-2019
Cap: 29 consecutive nights max per stay
Insurance: $2,000,000 liability
MAT: 4%
vaughan.ca →Stays under 30 days: Currently unregulated
Licence: None as of this writing
Cap: No cap in effect
Insurance: Not applicable, no bylaw
MAT: Not applicable
richmondhill.ca →Stays under 30 days: Not permitted as-of-right in any zone
Licence: No standard pathway; needs a site-specific rezoning
Cap: N/A (30+ day rentals unaffected)
Insurance: Not applicable
MAT: Not applicable
markham.ca →| City | Stays Under 30 Days | Licence | Night Cap | Insurance | MAT | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | Yes, principal residence only | $390/year registration | 180 nights/year (entire unit); unlimited for a room only | Not specified in registration requirements | 6% | toronto.ca |
| Mississauga | Yes, principal residence only | $283/year licence | 180 nights/year, all platforms combined | $2,000,000 commercial general liability | 6% | mississauga.ca |
| Vaughan | Yes, principal residence (or a room in it) only | Short-Term Rental Licence, By-law 158-2019 | 29 consecutive nights max per stay | $2,000,000 liability | 4% | vaughan.ca |
| Richmond Hill | Currently unregulated | None as of this writing | No cap in effect | Not applicable, no bylaw | Not applicable | richmondhill.ca |
| Markham | Not permitted as-of-right in any zone | No standard pathway; needs a site-specific rezoning | N/A (30+ day rentals unaffected) | Not applicable | Not applicable | markham.ca |
This isn't legal advice and these rules change: confirm your specific address and situation directly on each city's own page linked above before you list. Compiled September 2026.
Mississauga is the city actively cracking down
A licence on paper and a licence that gets checked are different things. Effective November 17, 2025, Mississauga raised its administrative penalty for operating without a licence, running more than one short-term rental, or operating out of a non-principal residence to a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $1,000 per violation. The City also received $4.75 million in federal Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund money to hire more enforcement officers, monitor Airbnb and Vrbo listings directly, and run on-site inspections. Its own count found only 510 of 1,554 verified qualifying rentals licensed as of April 2025, about one in three, with 1,315 Notices of Contravention issued since December 2021.
Toronto and Vaughan both license and tax short-term rentals too, but neither has published a comparable recent enforcement push. That doesn't make either one unregulated, it means Mississauga is currently the city where the gap between an unlicensed listing and a real penalty is closing fastest.
Read the full Mississauga short-term rental guide or see the Vaughan, Richmond Hill & Markham guide for those three cities in full.
One cleaning standard, wherever you're licensed
Whichever of these five cities you host in, and whatever cadence your listing runs (a same-day guest turnover, or a changeover clean on a compliant 30+ day rental), Pro City Maids schedules around your actual booking calendar and building access rules, not a fixed weekly day.
Short-term rental rules questions
Which GTA cities actually allow Airbnb-style short-term rentals?+
Toronto, Mississauga, and Vaughan all license short-term rentals out of a host's principal residence, each with its own fee, night cap, and Municipal Accommodation Tax. Richmond Hill has no bylaw in effect, so nothing is licensed there yet, but the city has been studying regulation since 2020. Markham does not permit stays under 30 days as-of-right in any zone under its Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2024-19, so a classic Airbnb listing isn't a legal option there without a site-specific rezoning.
Which city has the strictest short-term rental enforcement?+
Mississauga, as of late 2025. The City raised its administrative penalty to $500-$1,000 per violation effective November 17, 2025, and received $4.75 million in federal Short-Term Rental Enforcement Fund money to hire more officers and monitor listings on Airbnb and Vrbo directly. Its own count found only about one in three verified rentals licensed as of April 2025, so enforcement has real room to grow. See our dedicated Mississauga guide, linked below, for the full detail.
Can I run an entire-unit Airbnb as an investment property anywhere in the GTA?+
Not under any of the five bylaws in this comparison. Toronto, Mississauga, and Vaughan all restrict short-term rental licensing to a host's genuine principal residence, not a separate investment condo or house. Richmond Hill has no licensing requirement at all yet, and Markham doesn't permit short stays as-of-right regardless of ownership. A furnished rental of 30+ consecutive days sits outside all five bylaws and is the compliant path for an investment unit in most of these cities.
Do these rules change often?+
Yes, and this page reflects a point in time. Mississauga tightened its penalties in November 2025 with new federal funding behind it, and Richmond Hill has been actively studying regulation since 2020 without finalizing anything, meaning it could introduce rules with little notice. Confirm your specific address and situation on the relevant city's own page (linked in the table above) before you list, rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.
Does Pro City Maids clean for hosts in all five of these cities?+
Yes. We provide Airbnb and short-term rental turnover cleaning across Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham, along with the rest of our GTA service area, whether you run a licensed entire-unit rental, a room, or a compliant 30+ day mid-term rental.
Turnover cleaning that fits your city's rules
Call or text 647-691-6911, or get a free quote for your unit.