Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Big Bear Lake, CA
Big Bear lives on winter weekends, and Fairly manages homes across the whole valley — Big Bear Lake and Moonridge, Big Bear City, Fawnskin and Sugarloaf — with listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, a caretaker who lives nearby, and every lodging tax collected and remitted.
4.8
Average review in Big Bear Lake, CA
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our homes average 4.84 stars across 21,000+ guest reviews. 96% of our reviews are four stars or better. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Big Bear Lake market overview
Big Bear Valley is a high basin in the San Bernardino Mountains, close to 7,000 feet and a morning's drive from Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire. It is one market with several addresses: the City of Big Bear Lake along the south shore, and the unincorporated communities of Big Bear City, Fawnskin on the north shore and Sugarloaf to the east. Guests come for the ski slopes at Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, the lake, and the trails of the surrounding San Bernardino National Forest; Visit Big Bear covers the rest. West along the Rim of the World highway, Lake Arrowhead is a second mountain-lake market in the same range, lower and closer to the valley.
Winter is the market. December and January are the busiest and highest-priced months of the year, with February close behind, as Southern California drives up for snow and the holidays fill the valley. Summer adds a smaller peak in July, and November picks up as the resorts open. April and May are the quietest months by a wide margin, and September and October stay calm until the first snow.
What homes earn in Big Bear Lake, CA
The chart above draws on top-tier homes across the Big Bear Valley — inside the city and in the communities around it — listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, holding an average review score of 4.8 or higher, and available or rented at least 300 days a year. Because so much of Big Bear's year is earned between Thanksgiving and February, a home's own result turns on how well it runs in snow season, as well as on its size, location and condition. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $5,004 | 43% | $490 |
| Feb | $4,028 | 41% | $453 |
| Mar | $1,851 | 24% | $336 |
| Apr | $801 | 18% | $273 |
| May | $774 | 18% | $280 |
| Jun | $1,677 | 28% | $310 |
| Jul | $3,147 | 42% | $343 |
| Aug | $2,163 | 32% | $311 |
| Sep | $1,666 | 26% | $304 |
| Oct | $1,695 | 25% | $285 |
| Nov | $2,763 | 34% | $343 |
| Dec | $5,683 | 49% | $489 |
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This is based on properties listed on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com with an average review score of 4.8 out of 5 or higher, limited to homes available or rented at least 300 days a year. Earnings vary based on the unique amenities and qualities of each home.
A guaranteed $5,000 increase in earnings
We guarantee that homeowners coming from self management or other managers will make an extra $5,000 in their first year with Fairly.
Vacation Rental Taxes and Regulations in Big Bear Lake, CA
Two sets of rules in one valley
Short-term renting is allowed across the Big Bear Valley, under one of two jurisdictions. Homes inside the City of Big Bear Lake, ZIP 92315, are licensed and taxed by the city. Big Bear City, Fawnskin and Sugarloaf are unincorporated, so San Bernardino County governs there. California levies no state lodging tax, so the local taxes below are the whole of it.
Inside the City of Big Bear Lake
Every booking carries 13%: the city's 10% transient occupancy tax and a 3% Tourism Business Improvement District assessment, both owed to the city. A return is due every month, by the last day of the following month, even when the home earned nothing, and two late returns in twelve months mean the license is not renewed.
The vacation rental license comes first, and no renting is allowed until it is issued. The application needs proof of ownership and of liability insurance, and the home then goes through a city inspection. The license renews annually, its number goes on every listing, and it is posted inside the home with the city's rules. Owners and agents who run the rental are certified by the city each year. Occupancy is two adults per bedroom plus two, and never more than sixteen people.
Two rules matter if you are buying. A license ends when the home sells — transfers within a family are the exception — so a buyer applies for a new one rather than inheriting the seller's. And no owner may hold more than two licenses.
In Big Bear City, Fawnskin and Sugarloaf
The county's Tax Collector levies a 7% transient occupancy tax on stays of 30 days or less, charged on everything the guest pays, cleaning fees included. Returns are quarterly, and one is due even when no tax is owed. Register with the Tax Collector first, then apply to County Code Enforcement for the Short-Term Residential Rental permit the county requires in the mountains. It brings an inspection and renews annually. Occupancy follows bedroom count and caps at twelve, and solid-fuel fire pits and outdoor fireplaces are not allowed.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for the city or county occupancy tax, collect it on every booking and remit it on the schedule each requires — monthly to the city, quarterly to the county — and we assist with the license or permit application and its annual renewal.
Operating a vacation rental in Big Bear Lake, CA
Snow decides how a Big Bear rental runs. Inside the city, guests may park only in the home's driveway and garage, so once snow passes two inches the required spaces and the drive to them must be cleared before and during every stay — including the berm a city plow leaves across the driveway. Outdoor spas and noise stop between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and trash cans go out no more than a day before collection. When the city calls about a problem at the house, it expects the owner or agent there in person within 30 minutes. Your caretaker lives in the valley and is that person: they handle turnovers and snow mornings themselves, and know the house well enough to catch a frozen pipe early.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly's management fee in Big Bear Lake is a flat 20% commission on rental revenue — no long-term contract, no hidden fees, and nothing charged until the home books. For that, we list it on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, set its prices, answer its guests, and collect and remit the lodging taxes. Your caretaker is paid the full cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of the commission.
No, though renting is allowed on both sides. Homes inside the City of Big Bear Lake need a city vacation rental license and carry 13% in city occupancy tax and tourism assessment, reported monthly. In Big Bear City, Fawnskin and Sugarloaf, San Bernardino County governs: a county permit, a 7% occupancy tax and quarterly returns.
No. A city vacation rental license expires when the home sells, unless it passes within a family, so a buyer applies for a new license and the home goes through the city inspection before it can be rented again. Each owner may hold no more than two licenses, which is worth knowing before you buy a second home here.
In winter. December and January are the busiest and highest-priced months of the year, with February close behind, as the ski resorts and the holidays fill the valley. July brings a smaller summer peak and November picks up as the snow arrives, while April and May are by far the quietest months.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Big Bear Lake, CA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7