WashingtonShort-term rental rules

Largest 50 cities / District of Columbia

Washington limits short-term rentals to a natural-person owner's primary residence claiming the Homestead Tax Deduction. Unhosted whole-home stays are capped at 90 nights a year, with no investor path under current law.

Research reviewed Oct 18, 2026. Interpretation in original review.

Compare this market What changed Start a property worksheet

Does the operating permit transfer?: New application
The license depends on the specific owner's Homestead Tax Deduction and Certificate of Clean Hands. A buyer cannot inherit either, and must qualify and apply for a new license after closing.
Can the land-use approval continue?: Verify the property approval
The operating-permit rule does not establish whether this parcel’s zoning approval, variance or older-use protection continues. Obtain the actual approval and its conditions.
Can this buyer obtain approval?: Non-owner-occupied and corporately owned properties cannot get a license today; a pending 2026 bill would allow one second, non-owner-occupied property capped at 90 nights a year.
License or registration: DC's Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection issues a hosted Short-Term Rental or unhosted Vacation Rental license, $99 for two years.
Application availability: Confirm current availability
Application availability was not separately reverified for this explorer. Check the city’s current program, cap, lottery or waitlist before relying on the seller’s rental history.
Timing to verify: No sale-specific deadline was established in this summary. Ask the issuing office about filing, renewal and any interruption in operation.
Changes and uncertainty: B26-0647 (introduced Mar. 13, 2026) would let renters host and allow one non-owner-occupied second property; still at committee referral with no hearing as of Oct. 2026.

What this means for the appraisal

Obtain the buyer application requirements and confirm the earliest approved operating date before assuming continuity of rental income.
Verify the property’s land-use approval and continuation conditions. Research finding: Verify the property approval.
Check the proposed buyer against the recorded requirements: Non-owner-occupied and corporately owned properties cannot get a license today; a pending 2026 bill would allow one second, non-owner-occupied property capped at 90 nights a year.
In the assignment analysis, identify the evidence supporting the proposed rental use, any operating interruption and any unresolved assumptions.

Use these prompts to plan the property review. The appraiser must evaluate the evidence and reach the assignment-specific conclusions.

Record the property evidence in a worksheet

Request documents from the owner or agent

Copy this market-specific request, add the property address and edit it for the assignment.

Read or select the document request

Document request for Washington

Subject: STR property document request | Washington, DC

Please provide the following documents for the property under review. Identify any item that is unavailable or does not apply.

1. Property address, parcel ID and confirmation of the governing jurisdiction.
2. Current operating permit or registration, named holder, expiration date and renewal history, if applicable.
3. Written ownership-change instructions from the issuing office. Guide finding: The license depends on the specific owner's Homestead Tax Deduction and Certificate of Clean Hands. A buyer cannot inherit either, and must qualify and apply for a new license after closing.
4. Zoning approval, conditional-use permit, variance or grandfathering record, including conditions and evidence of continued use. Guide finding: The operating-permit rule does not establish whether this parcel’s zoning approval, variance or older-use protection continues. Obtain the actual approval and its conditions.
5. Documents addressing the proposed buyer and property requirements: Non-owner-occupied and corporately owned properties cannot get a license today; a pending 2026 bill would allow one second, non-owner-occupied property capped at 90 nights a year.
6. Current confirmation of application availability, including any cap, waitlist, lottery or separation rule. Guide finding: Application availability was not separately reverified for this explorer. Check the city’s current program, cap, lottery or waitlist before relying on the seller’s rental history.
7. Recorded covenants, HOA or condominium rental restrictions and applicable lease restrictions.
8. Rental operating statements and booking records, with the periods covered and any anticipated interruption at closing.
9. Written clarification: The original review describes an inference or a gap in the sale provision. Obtain the city’s written ownership-change procedure for the specific approval.

Market research reviewed: 2026-10-18. These requests need property-specific verification.
Official research sources:
DLCP - Short-Term Rental license service page: https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1616736
DC Council LIMS - B26-0647, Short-Term Rental Regulation Amendment Act of 2026: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0647

Subject: STR property document request | Washington, DC

Please provide the following documents for the property under review. Identify any item that is unavailable or does not apply.

1. Property address, parcel ID and confirmation of the governing jurisdiction.
2. Current operating permit or registration, named holder, expiration date and renewal history, if applicable.
3. Written ownership-change instructions from the issuing office. Guide finding: The license depends on the specific owner's Homestead Tax Deduction and Certificate of Clean Hands. A buyer cannot inherit either, and must qualify and apply for a new license after closing.
4. Zoning approval, conditional-use permit, variance or grandfathering record, including conditions and evidence of continued use. Guide finding: The operating-permit rule does not establish whether this parcel’s zoning approval, variance or older-use protection continues. Obtain the actual approval and its conditions.
5. Documents addressing the proposed buyer and property requirements: Non-owner-occupied and corporately owned properties cannot get a license today; a pending 2026 bill would allow one second, non-owner-occupied property capped at 90 nights a year.
6. Current confirmation of application availability, including any cap, waitlist, lottery or separation rule. Guide finding: Application availability was not separately reverified for this explorer. Check the city’s current program, cap, lottery or waitlist before relying on the seller’s rental history.
7. Recorded covenants, HOA or condominium rental restrictions and applicable lease restrictions.
8. Rental operating statements and booking records, with the periods covered and any anticipated interruption at closing.
9. Written clarification: The original review describes an inference or a gap in the sale provision. Obtain the city’s written ownership-change procedure for the specific approval.

Market research reviewed: 2026-10-18. These requests need property-specific verification.
Official research sources:
DLCP - Short-Term Rental license service page: https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1616736
DC Council LIMS - B26-0647, Short-Term Rental Regulation Amendment Act of 2026: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0647

Research and guide updates

Oct 18, 2026 Research record: Research recorded for this market. Interpretation in original review. See the findings, open questions and official sources below.
Nov 1, 2026 Guide tools: Added assignment prompts, a document request and consistent research questions. This tool update does not change the market research date.

Changes and uncertainty to verify

B26-0647 (introduced Mar. 13, 2026) would let renters host and allow one non-owner-occupied second property; still at committee referral with no hearing as of Oct. 2026.

Still to confirm

The original review describes an inference or a gap in the sale provision. Obtain the city’s written ownership-change procedure for the specific approval.

Sources and research limits

Carried forward from the October 18, 2026 city research. The explorer separates the operating permit from land-use rights; this is not a new verification of all current city rules.

Use this summary to identify the documents and questions for a property review. A seller's rental history alone does not establish a buyer's permission to operate.

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