Nova Scotia

When deciding whether to become an Airbnb host, it's important for you to understand the laws in your city. As a platform and marketplace, we do not provide legal advice, but we want to provide some useful links that may help you better understand laws and regulations in Nova Scotia. This list is not exhaustive, but it should give you a good start in understanding your local laws. We’ll continue to update this information as more becomes available.

Registration is required to host short-term rentals in Nova Scotia. Apply for your registration or renew now to continue hosting.

Registration

All short-term rentals (28 days or less) need to register with the Tourist Accommodations Registry to operate in Nova Scotia. Once you are registered with the province, you must add your registration number to your listing to continue hosting. To add this number to your listing, go to Listings, select the listing you want, and add the number under Regulations.

You need to register each accommodation location with a different address (each location gets a separate registration number). You can register multiple accommodations at the same time.

The accommodation’s host or operator needs to complete the registration.

You don’t have to register if you provide:

• Only long-term accommodations (like a year-to-year lease, month-to-month lease or more than 28 days in a row)
• Accommodations at campgrounds that are not roofed (like campsites where travelers bring their own tents or trailers)

For questions about your listing, email TARA-TNS@novascotia.ca or call 902-798-6700.

Applying for a registration number

• Details about the registration process can be found here.
• Complete your registration application online with the Tourist Accommodations Registry. Make sure you have:
  • Listing address number of bedrooms in the accommodation
  • Name, mailing address, email and phone number for host or operator
  • Your registration number, if you previously registered your tourist accommodation. If you do not have your registration number, you can recover your registration number online.
  • Confirmation from your municipality that you are in compliance with local regulations, if required.
• Pay your annual registration fee when prompted using a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), Interac® Online, or debit card. Note: You can only pay by debit card online if your bank participates in Interac® Online.
• Submit your completed registration form and payment. The Tourist Accommodations Registry will then email you a receipt and registration number. Please keep a copy for your records.
• You will receive your registration number right away.

Other contracts and rules

As a host, you need to understand and abide by other contracts or rules that bind you, including municipal land use by-laws, leases, co-op rules, HOA rules, or other rules established by tenant organizations. For more information, consider contacting your housing authority (such as a community council) or landlord. Your lease (or other contract) might also provide specific details.

Our commitment to your community

By partnering with local officials, Airbnb is committed to showing how hosting can benefit your community. We will continue to advocate for changes that support everyday people and opportunities to host in a community setting.