Uttarakhand

When deciding to become an Airbnb Host, it’s important for you to understand the laws in your State. As a platform and marketplace, we do not give legal advice, but we do want to provide some useful information that may help you better understand the laws and regulations for hosting in Uttarakhand. This list is not exhaustive and should not be considered legal advice, but it should give you a good head start in understanding your local laws. If you have questions, please contact the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDP), other Government agencies directly, or consult a local lawyer.

First things first — you should obtain necessary registrations and permissions prior to listing on Airbnb.

Hotels, motels, timeshare apartments, bed & breakfasts, lodges, resorts, guest houses, dharamshalas, paying guests houses, ashrams, tourist rest houses, motor caravan, tent colony/nature camp, and cruise/house boats: If you are planning to list any of the above on Airbnb, then make sure you have obtained necessary registrations and permissions to operate the premises under the Uttarakhand Tourism and Travel Business Registration Rules, 2014 (Tourism and Travel Rules). Accommodation providers can log into the Uttarakhand Tourism Travel Trade Registration website to file new or renewal applications. You can also review the guidelines which list mandatory requirements (such as infrastructure, etc.) for registration of hotels, motels, resorts, guest/tourist rest houses, dharamshalas, etc., which are in addition to the obligations under Tourism and Travel Rules. You may also refer to the Travel Trade FAQs or visit the UTDP website for additional details.

Homestays: The Guest Uttarakhand Home Accommodation (Homestay) Rules, 2015 (Homestay Regulations) provides for mandatory registration of homestays in Uttarakhand. Hosts can submit their registration applications to the District Tourism Development Officer of the concerned district. Alternatively, hosts can also log into the Uttarakhand Tourism Homestay Registration website which allows online registration and renewal of registration for homestays.

The Homestay Regulations list several obligations of homestay providers. For instance, if you intend to list a homestay, you must ensure it is a wholly residential complex and the owner, along with his family, physically resides in it. As part of the Homestay Regulations, you are also required to:

• Ensure that a maximum of six rooms (consisting of not more than four beds in each room) are let out to guests irrespective of size of homestay
• Ensure that each room has an attached bathroom with adequate hygiene facilities, fit for habitation of guests at the homestay, at all times
• Maintain a detailed record of all the domestic and foreign guests that arrive and send this information to the concerned local police authorities and the District Tourism Development Office by the 5th of every month.

To know more, you may also refer to the Homestay FAQs and the UTDP website.

Hosts on Airbnb are responsible for ensuring that all their business and trade licenses are up to date and renewed in a timely manner.