To rent a property in the City of Philadelphia, landlords and short-term hosts must have a license.
Having a rental license is essential because you must have one if you ever need to evict a tenant or collect back rent. Renting a residential dwelling without a license could risk penalties from the City, including possible fines and the inability to actually remove a problematic renter.
Getting a rental license in Philadelphia is not always straightforward. That’s why hundreds of property owners, from first-time landlords to investment funds with large real estate portfolios, turn to Philadelphia Zoning to help obtain and manage their rental licenses.
A rental license is a business license that allows proprietors to rent out apartments, rooms, or other sleeping or rooming units to tenants. Rental licenses cover rented houses, apartments, condos, dormitories, boarding houses, and short-term visitor accommodations, such as hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.
There are two categories of rental license in Philadelphia. A “long-term” rental license allows an owner to rent a property for more than 30 days at any given time, and a “short-term” rental license allows an owner to rent a property for less than 30 days at any one time.
One rental license can cover all of the apartment units in a single building, but multiple condo units on a property each require their own license.
Rental licenses are valid for one year and must be renewed annually, and the City charges application and renewal fees for each unit. These fees are subject to change each year.
There are certain preliminary steps that would-be landlords need to take before applying for a long-term or short-term rental license in Philadelphia.
At Philadelphia Zoning, we help our clients obtain their rental licenses by handling the process from start to finish. We take the guesswork out of navigating the City’s procedures by ensuring that all documentation is in order, every step of the way.
Rental licenses are not transferable, which means that even if you are purchasing a licensed property, the old license must be closed out and a new license acquired by the new owner.
Ready to apply for a Philadelphia rental license? Reach out to Philadelphia Zoning at info@consolelegal.com or use the help request form below.
If you let your rental license expire, you have 30 days to renew it without penalty. After that, a late fee of 1.5% of the license fee will be added for each month the license is late.
You can easily find your rental license, or check if your landlord has one, by using the city’s Atlas website. Just enter the property address and select the “Licenses & Inspections” tab. All current and past rental licenses will be listed there, along with their status (active, inactive, or expired).
With the right kind of license, you can turn your Philadelphia property into a short-term rental business and rent it out on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com. However, figuring out what kind of short-term rental license you need, and then obtaining that license, can be confusing.
Philadelphia Zoning helps individuals, investors, and businesses with every step of this process, from beginning to end.
There are two types of short-term rental licenses in Philadelphia:
A limited lodging operator license is for people who want to rent out their primary residence. Visitors’ stays must be shorter than 30 days. The owner of a property may apply for this license. Tenants may also apply if:
To get this license, you need to apply for and obtain a limited lodging zoning permit first. Then during the application process, the City will conduct a virtual inspection on each license and renewal application starting July 1, 2025.
It’s important to note that the City will only issue a limited lodging operator license to a “natural person,” and not to a business entity. An LLC cannot obtain a limited lodging operator license in Philadelphia.
If the property you want to rent out on Airbnb or Vrbo is not your primary residence, you need a rental license with a hotel designation for short-term rentals in Philadelphia. Both individuals and businesses, including LLCs, can apply for the rental license with hotel designation.
To get the rental license, first you need a Visitor Accommodations zoning permit. Only properties with certain zoning designations qualify for this permit by right. These include certain types of residential, commercial, and industrial mixed-use designations. Other types of properties may require a variance.
Questions about your property’s zoning and whether it allows visitor accommodations? Need help turning your Philadelphia home or investment property into a short-term or long-term rental? Reach out to Philadelphia Zoning at info@philadelphiazoning.com or use the help request form below.
Our team of licensed professionals can guide you through your project.
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