Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Destin, FL
Destin's harbor, East Pass and emerald Gulf beaches keep calendars full from spring break through July, and Fairly runs your rental here end to end: listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing, guest messaging, a caretaker who lives nearby, and Florida and Okaloosa County lodging taxes collected and remitted.
4.8
Average review in Destin, FL
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.
Destin market overview
Destin sits on the narrow strip of land between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay, at the mouth of East Pass. Guests come for the white-sand beaches, the charter fishing fleet and restaurants along Destin Harbor, and days on the bay at the sandbar off Crab Island. Henderson Beach State Park keeps a long stretch of undeveloped dunes inside the city, and to the east the coast runs on to Miramar Beach and Sandestin.
Demand follows the school calendar. March brings spring break and the first busy weeks, with occupancy among top rentals passing 60%, and April and May build from there. June and July are the peak: calendars close to nine-tenths full and the highest nightly rates of the year. August drops to around 60% as schools return, September and October hold a quieter shoulder of couples and anglers, and November through February is the off-season, with occupancy between a fifth and a third.
What homes earn in Destin, FL
The chart follows the top tier of Destin vacation rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo: homes with an average review score of 4.8 or higher that were available or rented at least 300 days of the year. It traces one tall summer season, with earnings climbing from March, peaking in June and July and easing after August. Where a given home lands depends on its distance to the Gulf or harbor, its sleeping capacity and features such as a pool. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $1,325 | 19% | $225 |
| Feb | $2,361 | 34% | $248 |
| Mar | $6,959 | 61% | $368 |
| Apr | $7,100 | 61% | $388 |
| May | $9,561 | 69% | $447 |
| Jun | $14,280 | 85% | $560 |
| Jul | $15,140 | 88% | $555 |
| Aug | $7,535 | 59% | $412 |
| Sep | $6,207 | 57% | $363 |
| Oct | $5,626 | 52% | $349 |
| Nov | $2,098 | 27% | $259 |
| Dec | $1,618 | 20% | $261 |
Get a custom projection for your home
Discover how much your vacation rental could earn with Fairly — No strings attached.
Looking for a home? Find a vacation rental for sale
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 Destin, FL
Can your home be a short-term rental here?
In the parts of Destin where visitors stay, yes. Destin is an incorporated city in Okaloosa County, and its zoning decides where a short-term rental may operate. The city's short-term rental zoning map allows them on the Gulf side of US 98 from Holiday Isle east to Henderson Beach State Park, and across most of Crystal Beach east of the park. Along the harbor, in the town center around Main Street and on the commercial frontage north of US 98, condominiums can qualify but houses mostly cannot. The residential neighborhoods north of Harbor Boulevard and US 98, around Calhoun Avenue, Kelly Street, Benning Drive, Joes Bayou and Airport Road, do not allow short-term rentals.
If the house you want to rent falls in those neighborhoods, look east: Miramar Beach, in unincorporated Walton County, registers short-term rentals each year rather than capping them. In either place, a condominium or homeowners' association can set its own rental rules.
Lodging and occupancy taxes
Every stay of six months or less carries 13% in tax: Florida's 6% sales tax and Okaloosa County's 1% discretionary sales surtax, both filed with the Florida Department of Revenue, and Okaloosa County's 6% tourist development tax, filed every month with the Okaloosa County Clerk of Court. All three apply to the rent and to required guest fees such as cleaning.
Registering your rental
Start with the state: a vacation rental licence from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, then a Department of Revenue sales tax account and a tourist development tax account with the Clerk of Court.
Houses, townhomes, duplexes and triplexes inside city limits then register with the City of Destin every year, from January 1; condominium units are outside the city registration. The application carries City of Destin and Okaloosa County business tax receipts, the state licence and the sales tax certificate. A registration doesn't transfer: a sale or a change of management company means registering again.
Rules for registered homes
Each registered home names a local responsible party, reachable around the clock and able to reach the property within one hour of a call. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can act as that responsible party. A sign readable from the street shows the management and emergency contacts, the occupancy limit and the parking spaces. Overnight occupancy is capped at two adults per bedroom plus four, and never more than 24.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for Florida sales tax and the Okaloosa County tourist development tax, and collect and remit all three taxes on every booking. We assist with the state licence, the business tax receipts and the annual city registration.
Operating a vacation rental in Destin, FL
Operating in Destin means fitting most of a year's turnovers into March through July, when stays run back to back and US 98 traffic slows every trip between properties. Gulf-front condominium buildings add their own check-in, parking and amenity rules, and beach houses add a pool to each changeover. Salt air and humidity wear on air conditioning, sliding doors, locks and balcony hardware all year, and hurricane season, June through November, overlaps the busiest months, so securing outdoor furniture before a storm and checking the home afterwards are part of the calendar. A house or townhome registered with the city must also name a local responsible party who can reach it within an hour of a call. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can take that role, along with every turnover and walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, so Fairly is paid only when your Destin home books. The rate covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through the summer peak and the quiet winter, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Florida sales tax and the Okaloosa County tourist development tax.
It depends on where it is. Destin's zoning allows short-term rentals on the Gulf side of US 98 from Holiday Isle to Henderson Beach State Park and across most of Crystal Beach, and condominiums can qualify along the harbor and in the town center. The residential neighborhoods north of Harbor Boulevard and US 98 do not allow them. Houses and townhomes also register with the city each year.
Every stay of six months or less carries 13%: Florida's 6% sales tax and Okaloosa County's 1% surtax, filed with the Florida Department of Revenue, plus Okaloosa County's 6% tourist development tax, filed monthly with the county Clerk of Court. They apply to rent and required guest fees such as cleaning. Fairly collects and remits all of them on every booking.
Spring break through July. Occupancy among Destin's top rentals passes 60% in March, comes close to 90% in June and July, when nightly rates peak, and holds near 60% in August and September. November through February is the off-season, with a fifth to a third of nights booked, so pricing has to make summer count.
Let’s talk
Fill out some information and we’ll get in touch.
Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Destin, FL and neighboring areas
Available 24/7