CAPE TOWN’S AIRBNB DEBATE

Regulation, reality and what comes next?

- 

Don’t fret just yet landlords — as of March 2026 there are still no specific laws regulating short-term letting in South Africa.

But thanks to Cape Town’s post-COVID tourism boom, there are increasing calls from policy makers, housing advocates and irate locals who'd like to see that change.

According to Grant Smee, CEO of Only Realty, while the rise of Airbnb has been raising concerns among body corporates for years - with many complexes banning short-term rentals over safety risks - pressure for a citywide crackdown intensified in 2025 following the release of an explosive report revealing more than 26,000 Airbnb listings in Cape Town and ranking the city eighth in the world for Airbnb supply.

“That figure of 26,000 listings is striking on its own, but what really fanned the flame was the finding that roughly 70% of residential units in Cape Town’s CBD are either hotel-managed or listed on Airbnb,” says Smee.