Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Oakhurst, CA
Guests come to Oakhurst for Yosemite and the giant sequoias, and Fairly looks after everything between their booking and their checkout: pricing that follows the park's seasons, guest messaging, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, and a vetted caretaker who lives nearby and knows your home.
4.8
Average review in Oakhurst, CA
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our homes average 4.84 stars across 21,000+ guest reviews. 87% of those reviews are five stars. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Oakhurst market overview
Oakhurst sits on Highway 41 in the Sierra foothills of Madera County, the main town on the southern approach to Yosemite National Park. The Park Service puts Yosemite Valley about an hour and a half up the highway, and just inside the South Entrance is the Mariposa Grove, home to more than 500 mature giant sequoias. Bass Lake, a short drive east, adds boating and swimming to a summer stay.
Demand follows the park. June and July are the peak, with homes booked more than three nights in four and nightly rates at their highest of the year. May, August and September stay strong on either side, and October is still more than half booked as fall visitors come for quieter trails.
January and February are the quiet months, with occupancy around 30%, though December's holiday weeks lift nightly rates. Those winter weeks are the natural window for maintenance, projects and owner stays.
What homes earn in Oakhurst, CA
The chart follows entire-home rentals in the Oakhurst area listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, narrowed to homes holding a guest review score of 4.8 or better and available or rented at least 300 days a year. It shows what a well-run home earns here month by month: a June and July peak driven by Yosemite traffic, solid shoulder months either side, and a quiet midwinter. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $2,038 | 30% | $306 |
| Feb | $1,761 | 30% | $293 |
| Mar | $2,536 | 39% | $270 |
| Apr | $4,215 | 55% | $295 |
| May | $5,159 | 67% | $326 |
| Jun | $7,334 | 77% | $388 |
| Jul | $7,350 | 76% | $401 |
| Aug | $5,364 | 61% | $357 |
| Sep | $4,617 | 60% | $316 |
| Oct | $3,846 | 53% | $291 |
| Nov | $2,786 | 41% | $309 |
| Dec | $2,779 | 38% | $335 |
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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 Oakhurst, CA
Short-term rentals in Oakhurst
Oakhurst is an unincorporated community in Madera County. There is no city government, so there is no city permit and no city lodging tax, and every Fairly home here sits under the county's jurisdiction. The county allows short-term rentals today: to operate one, you need a county business license, a transient occupancy tax certificate and a passing fire inspection.
Lodging and occupancy taxes
California levies no state lodging tax; transient occupancy tax is a local levy on stays of 30 days or less. Madera County charges two on every Oakhurst booking:
- Transient occupancy tax of 9% of the rent, levied in the county's unincorporated areas.
- Tourism Business Improvement District assessment of 2.5% of short-term rental revenue.
Both are paid by the guest and collected by the operator, and both go to the Madera County Treasurer-Tax Collector. A quarterly return is due for every period, including a zero return for any quarter the home did not rent. Stays longer than 30 days fall outside both.
Registering your rental
Registration is a single county application for the business license and the TOT certificate, due within 30 days of first listing or advertising the home. Before the county processes it, the home must pass the Fire Marshal's inspection; a renewing rental needs a passing inspection by its renewal date. The county mails the license and certificate once approved, and both must be displayed inside the rental.
Rules under review
The county is writing its first comprehensive short-term vacation rental ordinance. Drafts would add a separate rental permit alongside the license and certificate, with standards for occupancy, parking, noise and trash. The Planning Division posts each draft and hearing on its ordinance page.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for Madera County's occupancy tax and TBID assessment, collect both on every booking, and file and pay the quarterly returns. We assist with the business license application and with preparing the home for its fire inspection.
Operating a vacation rental in Oakhurst, CA
Operating in Oakhurst means a short, intense summer: most of the year's revenue arrives in June and July, when back-to-back park stays leave little time between checkout and check-in.
Madera County's fire inspection is a standard a home keeps meeting, not a one-time hurdle. A rental needs a passing inspection when it first registers and again by each renewal, and the county's checklist sets out what the inspector looks for: working smoke detectors in bedrooms, hallways and common areas, carbon monoxide detectors where there is a fireplace, a wall-mounted extinguisher serviced or replaced every year, strapped water heaters and clear exits.
Winter brings fewer guests but harder driving: the Park Service notes tire chains may be required on park roads from about October through April, so arrival notes should cover conditions on the way up.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly charges a flat 20% commission on rental revenue in Oakhurst, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, and nothing is due until the home books. That covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through Yosemite's seasons, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Madera County's occupancy tax and TBID assessment. Your caretaker earns the cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of Fairly's commission.
Yes. Oakhurst is unincorporated, so Madera County sets the rules and there is no city permit. Today the county requires a business license, a transient occupancy tax certificate and a passing Fire Marshal inspection before a home rents. The county is drafting a short-term rental ordinance that would add a separate rental permit; its Planning Division publishes each draft.
Two county charges apply to stays of 30 days or less: Madera County's 9% transient occupancy tax and its 2.5% Tourism Business Improvement District assessment. Both go to the county Treasurer-Tax Collector on a quarterly return. Fairly registers your home for both, collects them on every booking and files the returns.
June and July are the peak, when Yosemite traffic fills homes more than three nights in four at the year's best rates. May, August and September stay strong, and October is still more than half booked. January and February are the quietest months, which makes them the natural time for maintenance and owner stays.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Oakhurst, CA and neighboring areas
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