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Registering a short-term let in Cape Town: what the draft by-law proposes

The City of Cape Town plans to require a registration number for every property listed on a booking platform. The by-law was still a draft when this guide was last checked, so treat the points below as proposals that may change.

Key facts

Every property listed on an online booking platform would need a City-issued registration number, shown on the listing.
Platforms would have to remove listings that don’t show a valid number.
Platforms would share availability and occupancy data for registered short-term lets with the City.
Owners who stop letting can ask the City to disable the number.

What registration involves

The City has described the system as mandatory and simple. It would cover every property listed on an online booking platform, and that includes hotels, guest houses and B&Bs that take bookings through those platforms. Each property gets a registration number from the City, which must be displayed publicly on the listing. Booking platforms would be obliged to take down any listing without a valid number.

Why the City wants it

Registration is how the City plans to apply its rates rule. Platforms would be required to share availability and occupancy data for registered short-term lets, and the City would use that data to check each property against the 50% threshold for commercial rates. Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs are left out of the data sharing because they are already rated commercial.

The 50% rule guide explains the test the data feeds into.

Taking a property off the platforms

A property can be de-registered. If you remove it from the booking platforms, the City asks that you tell it through its usual channels so that the registration number can be disabled.

What it does not do

It does not cap the number of nights you can let. The City has said it does not support restricting short-term letting.
It does not change zoning. The Municipal Planning By-law already allows short-term letting.
It does not override scheme rules. Body corporates and homeowners’ associations can still set their own.

What isn’t settled yet

This guide does not give a registration fee, a form or a deadline, because the City’s published guidance did not include them when we last checked. Look for the final by-law on the City’s website before you act.

What to do in the meantime

Work out your percentage. The calculator shows where your property sits against the 50% line.
Tidy your calendar. The City will count nights listed as available, so block the dates you don’t intend to let.
Check your scheme’s rules. If you are in a sectional title building or an estate, confirm that short-term letting is allowed.

Check your own property

Enter your valuation, bedrooms and nights listed to see which side of the 50% line you are on and what the rates would be.

Open the calculator

More guides

Sources: City of Cape Town, Short-term letting FAQs and Property rates 2026/27, Annexure 2. Last checked 10 November 2026.