Short-term rental compliance in South Africa is not one law. It is a stack of national policy, draft codes, national bills and municipal rules that change at different speeds. This is the register we maintain and audit against.
| Instrument | Status | Reference | Why it matters | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tourism Act | In force | Act 3 of 2014 | The parent Act for the tourism sector. Section 8 is the power under which the short-term rental code is issued. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| National White Paper on Tourism | Approved | Gen. Notice 2780 of 2024 · Gazette 51354 | Approved for implementation October 2024. The parent policy under which the short-term rental Code of Good Practice sits. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| Code of Good Practice for Short-Term Rentals | Draft · comment | Notice 3824 of 2026 · gazetted 13 Mar 2026 | The headline national code for the sector, issued under the Tourism Act s.8 with a 60-day public comment window. This is the instrument most likely to define what registration requires. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| National Business Licensing Bill | Bill | Gazette 53440 · 26 Sep 2025 | Standardises business licensing across all spheres of government and repeals the Businesses Act, 1991. The overarching framework short-term rental licensing would sit under. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) | In force | Act 4 of 2013 | Governs how guest and owner data is collected, stored and shared. Applies to operators, to assessors, and to us. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| SANS 10400 | In force | National Building Regulations | Building standards including occupancy classification and fire safety requirements — the technical basis for much of a structural assessment. | 1 Aug 2026 |
Municipal rules move fastest and vary most. This register starts with the jurisdiction furthest along and expands as others publish.
| Instrument | Status | Jurisdiction | Why it matters | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rates Policy 2026/27 | Adopted | City of Cape Town | Introduces a classification distinguishing commercial from part-time short-term letting based on annual availability. Classification affects the rates category a property falls into. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| Municipal zoning schemes | In force | All municipalities | Whether short-term letting is a permitted use, a consent use, or not permitted at all depends entirely on the zoning of the individual property. | 1 Aug 2026 |
| Business licensing by-laws | Varies | Per municipality | Local licensing requirements applying ahead of, and alongside, the national Bill. | 1 Aug 2026 |
The instruments above resolve into a set of things that either exist at a property or do not.
Zoning certificate, permitted or consent use, rates classification, any conditions of approval.
Approved building plans, occupancy certificate, any unapproved additions or alterations.
Fire clearance certificate, extinguishers and servicing dates, detection, escape routes and signage.
Certificates of compliance, currency of those certificates, and installations added since issue.
Water, waste handling, pest control, and food-handling requirements where meals are provided.
Business licence, entity registration, tax registration, public liability cover, and POPIA handling.
This register is information, not legal advice. STRCAS maintains it so that assessors, auditors, councils and operators are working from the same picture. It is reviewed on the date shown against each row, but instruments change and municipal rules vary. Before relying on any position here, confirm it against the gazetted text and your own legal advice. If you spot something out of date, tell us — an out-of-date compliance register is worse than none.
Comment windows close, bills are enacted and municipalities publish. If you would like to be told when something on this register changes, say so and we will add you.