Can I book an apartment for a few nights?

The rule is written by the city, not the platform

Short-term rentals are regulated locally, so the answer changes between cities and the platform is not the one deciding. New York registers hosts through the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement, and platforms are barred from processing a booking for a home that is not on the register.

The registration conditions are the part that matters to a traveller. The host has to live in the home and be present during the stay, and the whole booking is capped at two guests. A whole apartment to yourself, for a family of four, is not a thing the register permits.

What that did to the listings

Enforcement began in September 2023 and the effect was immediate and large: the city's short-term listings fell from tens of thousands to a fraction of that. What is left is mostly a room in an occupied home, which is a different product from the one most visitors think they are booking.

The practical consequence is not that you cannot find a place — it is that you should read what kind of place it is, and be suspicious of a whole-apartment listing at a good price.

Everywhere else, ask the same question

Other cities have their own versions, from registration numbers to night caps to outright bans in particular buildings. None of it is visible from a photograph, and a cancelled booking on arrival is a bad way to learn about it.

The reliable check is whether the listing shows a registration or licence number where the city requires one. Where a city requires it and the listing has none, that is the answer.

Good to know

• Short-term rental rules are set by the city, not the platform
• New York requires a registered host who lives there and is present, with two guests maximum
• Whole-apartment short stays are largely gone from New York
• Look for a registration number where the city requires one

Sources: New York City — Short-term rental registration, Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement · Updated Aug 2026