Florida Vacation Rentals: Short-Term Properties for Rent | Travelocity (2023)

FAQs

What is the best way to find a vacation rental in Florida? ›

Short-term vacation rentals are perfectly legal in Florida, however, there are still some regulations you should know. At the state level, short-term property managers are required to have a license in order to host guests at their property.

A Short-Term Vacation Rental is any dwelling unit or group of dwelling units in a condominium or apartment that is leased or rented for a period of six (6) months or less.

Booking Airbnb ushers in double the space, better discounts, and amenities. In some instances, you can pay equally as much for a hotel as you would an Airbnb.

Vrbo is often cheaper than Airbnb because its service fee is typically lower.

A Florida month-to-month rental agreement is a short-term lease document between a landlord and tenant. The agreement can be terminated within a minimum of fifteen (15) days in accordance with State law or at a longer time-period written in the lease.

Downsize a Current Home

Moving to a one- or two-bedroom home can save money. Snowbirds looking to stay on a budget may choose to spend more money on a new home in a desired area and downsize a current home. Downsizing means moving to a smaller home, which generally costs less, both in price and maintenance.

Florida state law prohibits local governments from banning short-term rentals altogether and from limiting the length or frequency of stays. These Florida laws make the Sunshine State one of the preferred markets for investors interested in vacation rental investing.

If someone is looking for the cheapest place to stay, they'll have a lot more options on Airbnb. Airbnb and Vrbo both charge guests booking fees, but the commission that property owners pay is slightly different between the two sites.

How do I rent a short-term rental without Airbnb? ›

Airbnb is the top trusted vacation rental site and one of the most recognizable vacation rental brands. It offers hosts the opportunity to make money from listing their short-term rental properties and experiences. It has the largest community of vacation rental hosts.

A property that is rented anywhere between one evening up to one month is often considered a short term rental. In contrast, a property rented for one month or longer is usually considered a long term vacation rental.

Q: Are short-term vacation rentals profitable? A: Yes, short-term vacation rentals can be very profitable. It started as a side gig for some landlords and families with vacation homes, but it's turned into a legitimate way to make income with the recent rise in travel demand.

The short answer is, yes — vacation rentals are very profitable. Of course, there are a lot of variables such as location, property maintenance, and upfront costs but overall short-term leases provide a better return than a long-term lease.

The cheapest times to visit

You can find terrific values on hotels and activities in the fall (Sept. 1 to right before Thanksgiving) and spring (from mid-March through mid-June, except for Easter and spring break weeks).

Whilst Airbnb is usually the cheaper option, you can often get some amazing deals on Booking.com if you book in advance. Many budget hotels are significantly discounted which is quite different from Airbnb where there are never explicit sales on accommodation.

Winner: Vrbo

Aesthetics aside, however, Vrbo offers far better filter and sort functionality than Airbnb. For example, Vrbo lets you filter by user reviews, including properties rated highly for cleanliness and properties rated 4 stars and above. Vrbo's filters are also more intuitive.

A 5% commission fee is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveler (such as cleaning, pet, and boat fees). Bookings that originate from our expanded distribution partners may have higher fees.

Is it safe to rent through Vrbo? ›

Yes, Vrbo is a legitimate online vacation rental site. As with any similar site, pay attention to amenities, reviews and cancellation policies.

For month-to-month tenancies, the landlord or tenant must deliver a notice at least fifteen (15) days before the next time the rent is due informing the other party that the lease will be terminated. Any time period shorter is ineffective.

Let's start with the basics: what would be considered a “short term rental” (or STR) in the state of Florida? In that state, any individual lease agreement that is less than six months in duration is considered a short term rental.

In Florida, residential leases of any duration are acceptable. An oral lease agreement is legal and enforceable for any period of less than one year. Lease agreements that exceed one year are permitted, but they must be in writing to comply with the statutes of fraud concerning property transactions.

If you think you may need to sell quickly and you'd lose money with a home purchase, it makes more sense to rent. You're concerned about upkeep costs. Homeownership costs money. Even with proper maintenance and upkeep, it doesn't take much to end up with a large, unexpected bill.

They can now operate the rentals along with the following counties: Hillsborough, Pinellas, Hernando, and Citrus, Sarasota, Manatee, Highlands and DeSoto counties. As of Thursday, 50 of Florida's 67 counties have been approved to operate short-term rentals.

In 2022, rents are up 7.2 percent, compared to 14.8 percent at this point in 2021.

Renting a single room or rooms other than the whole unit is not classified as a public lodging and would not require a license from DBPR. However, hosted rentals may still be subject to other city, county, or other local level requirements.

How do I get a vacation rental without Vrbo? ›

Airbnb has more listings.

More listings equals a better variety of places to stay, although Airbnb has more users — 150 million compared to Vrbo's 48 million — so there is more competition for available listings.

VRBO: Compared to Airbnb's 5.6 million listings, VRBO boasts over 2 million rentals worldwide. Keep in mind, however, that while VRBO offers fewer rentals, they only list whole houses, condos, or apartments.

Airbnb competitors include websites like Vrbo, Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Agoda, Expedia, TUI Villas, TravelStaytion, HomeToGo, Plum Guide, and Google. Not all of them are vacation rental marketplaces.

Traditional renters have to follow the lease agreement and may not change the pricing on the spot. This means that you will receive the same amount of rental income as stated in the rental agreement, ensuring a steady cash flow. An Airbnb rental property allows you to be more flexible with your pricing.

The term vacation rental is mainly used in the US. Other terms used are self-catering rentals, holiday homes, holiday lets (in the United Kingdom), cottage holidays (for rentals of smaller accommodation in rural locations) and gites (in rural locations in France).

Is Airbnb cheaper than renting a house? ›

A 2022 NerdWallet analysis of more than 1,000 U.S. Airbnb listings with check-in dates in 2022 or 2023 found that the savings for long-term stays are indeed significant. On average, the nightly rate for a seven-night Airbnb stay turns out to be 32% cheaper than the nightly rate for a one-night stay.

The term vacation rental is mainly used in the US. Other terms used are self-catering rentals, holiday homes, holiday lets (in the United Kingdom), cottage holidays (for rentals of smaller accommodation in rural locations) and gites (in rural locations in France).

A lower supply of new properties and increased demand for rental units also results in increased rental costs. This means that fewer people can afford the monthly apartment rent, making it hard for average earners to find an apartment.

Reviewers felt that Zumper meets the needs of their business better than Zillow. When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that Zillow is the preferred option. For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of Zumper over Zillow.

FloridaRentals lists thousands of properties. By far the vast majority of properties you will encounter on the Internet (especially those listed on services such as FloridaRentals) are indeed legitimate.

The safest way to pay for your vacation rental is by credit card. Regardless of where you live, credit cards offer more consumer protection than any other payment method.