Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Durango, CO
From the condos at Tamarron and Purgatory to acreage in the valleys south of town, Fairly runs Durango-area vacation rentals end to end: pricing, guest messaging, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, a caretaker who lives nearby, and the lodging taxes on every booking.
4.8
Average review in Durango, CO
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.
What Durango owners say
Durango market overview
Durango sits on the Animas River at the edge of the San Juan Mountains, and its pull reaches well past the city limits. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad draws visitors downtown, Purgatory Resort fills the condos at Tamarron and around the base area 25 miles north, and Mesa Verde National Park is a day trip to the west.
Summer is the main season. Among the area's top-rated homes, occupancy peaks in July at roughly seven nights in ten and stays above half through August and September, as rafting, hiking and the train fill calendars. Winter is the second season: nightly rates reach their high for the year over the holidays and stay strong through March while the lifts run. The quiet stretches are short and predictable — April, between ski season and summer, and November, before the mountain opens — and pricing them well matters as much as pricing July.
What homes earn in Durango, CO
The chart reflects the top tier of the Durango market: homes on Airbnb and Vrbo addressed in Durango — which takes in Tamarron, Purgatory and the rural county south of town as well as the city itself — that hold a guest review score of 4.8 or higher and are available or rented at least 300 days a year. Your home's results will depend on its size, setting and amenities. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $2,790 | 37% | $352 |
| Feb | $2,558 | 39% | $340 |
| Mar | $2,626 | 38% | $339 |
| Apr | $409 | 19% | $214 |
| May | $1,905 | 33% | $272 |
| Jun | $4,266 | 59% | $328 |
| Jul | $6,039 | 72% | $350 |
| Aug | $4,012 | 55% | $305 |
| Sep | $3,939 | 56% | $298 |
| Oct | $2,617 | 41% | $265 |
| Nov | $1,064 | 22% | $259 |
| Dec | $3,409 | 43% | $353 |
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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 Durango, CO
Can your home rent here?
Most Durango-area vacation rentals sit outside city limits — at Tamarron, around Purgatory and across the rural county south of town — in unincorporated La Plata County. Short-term rentals are allowed there, and the county has no short-term rental permit. Condominium and homeowner association covenants, common at Tamarron and around Purgatory, can set their own rental rules.
Inside the City of Durango, the picture is different. A vacation rental — any stay of 1 to 29 nights — needs a Limited Use Permit from the city's Community Development Department before it is advertised. Permits are allowed only in certain zones, are capped in the Established Neighborhood zones and in most developments, and most of those caps are full, so new applicants join a waitlist. A permit ends when the home is sold. Buyers who plan to rent will find the open path outside city limits.
Lodging and sales taxes
Outside city limits, a stay carries Colorado's 2.9% state sales tax, La Plata County's 3% sales tax and the county's 2% lodging tax, all filed with the Colorado Department of Revenue. Homes in the Purgatory metropolitan district add a 2.5% district sales tax, also filed with the Department. La Plata County's own vacation rental page still lists the county sales tax at 2 percent; that figure is out of date. The rate rose to 3% on January 1, 2026, and 3% is what the Department of Revenue's rate table shows and what a return should carry. The county's 2% lodging tax on the same page is current.
Inside the city, a stay carries a 9.4% combined sales tax plus the city's 5.25% lodgers' tax. Durango is a home-rule city and collects its own taxes, so the 3.5% city sales tax and the lodgers' tax are filed with the City of Durango; the state and county shares go to the Department of Revenue.
Registering your rental
Outside the city, the sequence is short: a Colorado sales tax license, then returns for each filing period. Inside the city, the Limited Use Permit comes first; the home must meet the city's standards for on-site parking, occupancy, trash and recycling, and noise. A City business license and a city sales and lodgers' tax account follow.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for the state, county and — inside the city — city taxes, then collect and remit them on every booking. Inside city limits, we assist with the Limited Use Permit application.
Operating a vacation rental in Durango, CO
Durango runs two seasons with different demands. Summer means back-to-back turnovers through July and August, often for families coming in off the river or the trail, with the yard, deck and grill kept guest-ready between stays. Winter moves the work up the mountain: homes near Purgatory sit high on US 550, where driveways, decks and walkways need clearing before every arrival, heat has to hold through cold snaps, and guests need current road conditions before they drive up. Rural homes south of town bring their own list — long gravel drives, wells and septic systems, and wildfire-season restrictions on fire pits and grills.
Inside city limits, a vacation rental permit carries standing conditions on parking, occupancy, trash and recycling, and noise that a home has to keep meeting for as long as it rents.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees — Fairly is paid only when your Durango home books. The rate covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through both the summer and ski seasons, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting the lodging taxes. Your caretaker earns the cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of Fairly's commission.
No. Unincorporated La Plata County — which includes Tamarron, the Purgatory area and the rural land south of town — has no short-term rental permit. You need a Colorado sales tax license, and every stay carries state and county sales tax plus the county's 2% lodging tax. HOA and condominium covenants can still set their own rules.
Only in certain zones, and usually not right away. The city requires a Limited Use Permit before a home is advertised, caps permits in its Established Neighborhood zones and most developments, and keeps a waitlist where caps are full. Permits end when a home sells. Homes just outside city limits face no permit cap.
Yes. Winter is Durango's second season, and homes up US 550 need snow cleared before every arrival, heat that holds through cold snaps, and guests who know the road conditions. Your caretaker lives nearby and handles turnovers and walkthroughs in person, and pricing follows the ski calendar from the holidays through March.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Durango, CO and neighboring areas
Available 24/7