Hey all. I'm working on turning a SFH into a MTR for travel nurses, etc. I've read everything I can find on the city of Buffalo website, scoured the internet, scoured their various portals. I've called all the phone numbers listed. I simply cannot figure out how to even apply and pay for a rental permit?
The website tells you what you need ($100 new rental permit application), but never actually points you to the place to apply. The phone numbers go to voicemail, with no calls back.
I also received conflicting info (in writing!) from someone stating that anything over 30 days counts as LTR in Buffalo and will only require a $50 annual permit renewal, whereas the Buffalo rental permit web page says anything less than 6 months is considered short term and requires a STR permit to operate.
Feels like a mess, hoping someone with experience in the area can help me understand and maybe point me to the right contact or process for actually registering.
Investor · Buffalo, NY · Member since 2019 · 160 posts · 112 votes
19h
You are correct --- it is a mess. I know exactly which page you are talking about that says anything less than 6 months is an STR, but it is not referenced in any legislation or any other source. I think it was a clerk or another assistant web builder who put that up there when they were scrambling to catch up with the burgeoning STR scene. The question those of us who have networked about all of this have asked is "Does this mean that MtM leases are now illegal???" I can't see that being the case.
You will need to register the rental through the Rental Registry system (also a racket) but you won't need a Short Term Rental license. If you do nothing, they will eventually send you a Rental Registration form. Might take years. Though, this newer administration seems to have stepped it up in terms of accounts payable, and technically, you can be fined for not registering.
Further advice is to use the website rather than the mail-in form. Why is that, Tim? Well, the paper form asks for your licensed property managers information (if you own 3 or more properties) but the web form does not. ;-)
CPA, CFP®, PFS · FL · Member since 2017 · 5k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6h
Holly, I can see why you’re getting conflicting answers, because Buffalo appears to have two different regulatory buckets that people may be blending together.
The City’s current rental-registration page says non-owner-occupied one- and two-family homes must be registered through the Rental Registration Office. The current fee is $100 for a new rental-registration application, with annual fees afterward.
Separately, Buffalo's short-term-rental code defines an owner-occupied STR as a rental for 1 to 30 days, and the City requires a short-term-rental certificate for STR use. For non-owner-occupied STRs, there is also a special-use-permit requirement.
So based on the code language I found, a true MTR where each stay is more than 30 days does not appear to fit that 1–30-day STR definition. That makes me think the person who told you "over 30 days is treated more like a regular rental" may be referring to the rental-registration side rather than the STR-license side. But because the City website is clearly causing confusion, I would still get that interpretation confirmed in writing for your exact address before you advertise or sign tenants.
The practical path I’d take is to contact the Rental Registration Office directly, since they handle non-owner-occupied rental registration. The City currently lists 716-851-5621, with 716-851-4267 as an alternate. The ePermits/CIVICS portal also says rental-registration updates and payments can be handled there, and the City lists in-person help at City Hall.
I'd ask one very specific question in writing: "If every tenancy is longer than 30 consecutive days, does this property require only Rental Registration, or does Chapter 380 STR licensing still apply?" That should force the distinction you need.
From the tax side, I'd also keep the rental model clear because MTR generally behaves more like a traditional rental than a very short-stay STR for passive-activity purposes, depending on average stay and services provided.
Feel free to DM me, I'd be happy to send over a few resources that might help with MTR versus STR tax treatment, rental setup, and property-level bookkeeping.
