The city made this hard. We’ll help you through it.
The Shared Housing Unit Registration is real work — forms, documents, fees and a lot of small requirements that are easy to miss. Plenty of owners never start. We’ll sit with you and get the package together at no charge, because a directory where every listing is permitted is worth more to us than a subscription.
Tell us about your place and where you are in the process.
We send you Chicago’s checklist and a folder to drop your documents into.
We help you get the package complete and organised.
You sign it and file it with the city.
Send us the permit number and your listing goes up free.
What the city asks for
- Photo identification — Driver's licence, state ID, US passport, military ID or CityKey.
- Proof of your right to rent it out — A recorded deed or mortgage if you own it, a signed lease if you rent, or a signed contract if you manage it for someone else.
- Proof of residency, if it is your primary home — One government ID plus one recent bank statement or payslip.
Source: Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) · Municipal Code 4-14-010 and 4-14-020
Worth knowing
- You must be registered before you advertise or rent. Operating while an application is pending is not permitted.
- Each unit gets its own registration number, and it must appear on every listing.
- Rentals of 32 days or more need no registration.
- Chicago maintains a prohibited-buildings list and ward-level restrictions worth checking before you apply.
Lodging tax
Chicago applies a combined hotel accommodations tax plus a shared-housing surcharge. Check the current combined rate with BACP before you set your pricing.