Queens County, NY Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)

Unlike San Francisco, Boston, or Paris, New York City has not set an annual night cap on hosted short-term rentals in Queens. Under Local Law 18, a registered host can accept an unlimited number of hosted stays of fewer than 30 days per year, as long as each stay meets the two-guest maximum and the host is physically present in the dwelling unit during the stay. The practical annual cap is therefore driven by the host own schedule rather than a statutory ceiling. For unhosted stays, the cap is effectively zero. Any rental of fewer than 30 consecutive days without the permanent occupant present is a violation of both Local Law 18 and the NYS Multiple Dwelling Law when the unit is a Class A dwelling. OSE uses booking platform data to detect hosts who exceed the two-guest cap or who operate unregistered listings, and fines begin at 1,000 dollars per day and can reach 7,500 dollars per repeat violation. Rent-stabilized tenants in Queens face an additional hurdle. A tenant who rents out a stabilized unit short-term, even with the host present, risks eviction for illegal use under NYC Rent Stabilization Code and potential forfeiture of stabilized status for the unit.