Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Lauderdale's canals, beaches and year-round boating trade fill vacation homes from the winter peak through the summer family season, and Fairly cares for yours through all of it — a local caretaker on the ground, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, and every lodging tax collected and remitted for you.
4.9
Average review in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our Fort Lauderdale homes average 4.9 stars across 25 guest reviews. Fewer than 4% of stays rate below four stars. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Fort Lauderdale market overview
Fort Lauderdale earns its "Venice of America" name from the canals and the Intracoastal Waterway threading between its beaches and Las Olas Boulevard, and the trade rarely stops: cruise passengers bookend sailings out of Port Everglades, boaters come for the marinas and the annual boat show, and families fill the beach blocks in summer. The paying season, though, is winter into spring. February and March are the peak — occupancy in the low eighties with the year's highest nightly rates — as snowbirds and spring travellers overlap, and January and April run nearly as strong. Summer holds a steady family trade at softer rates, September is the quiet month, and demand rebuilds through the fall events calendar into the holidays. A home that can host boat-show crowds in autumn and month-long winter guests earns across the whole calendar.
What homes earn in Fort Lauderdale, FL
These figures come from Airbnb and Vrbo listings in Fort Lauderdale that clear a high bar: a review score of at least 4.8, and a calendar available or rented at least 300 days a year — full-time rentals run well, not part-time homes or underperformers. Monthly revenue follows the seasonality of that comp set, strongest in late winter and softest in September. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $4,717 | 73% | $311 |
| Feb | $5,433 | 82% | $355 |
| Mar | $6,158 | 82% | $373 |
| Apr | $4,267 | 68% | $324 |
| May | $3,252 | 59% | $279 |
| Jun | $3,292 | 59% | $294 |
| Jul | $3,481 | 59% | $286 |
| Aug | $2,558 | 52% | $230 |
| Sep | $2,002 | 45% | $210 |
| Oct | $2,816 | 54% | $220 |
| Nov | $3,089 | 59% | $249 |
| Dec | $3,994 | 64% | $296 |
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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.
Vacation Rental Taxes and Regulations in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Short-term rentals are legal citywide — registration is the gate
Fort Lauderdale allows vacation rentals in any residential single-family home, duplex, three- or four-unit dwelling, or condominium, and manages them through an annual registration rather than a cap or lottery. A home advertised for stays of 30 days or less must hold a current city Certificate of Compliance. One zoning carve-out: accessory dwellings in the RS-8 and RD-15 districts cannot be used as vacation rentals.
Lodging and occupancy taxes
Bookings carry 13% in tax. Broward County levies a 6% tourist development tax on every rental of six months or less, administered by the county's Records, Taxes and Treasury Division. Florida adds 7% — the 6% state sales tax plus Broward's 1% discretionary surtax — filed with the Florida Department of Revenue on a single sales-and-use return. Both apply to the full rental charge, cleaning and other mandatory fees included.
Registering your rental
The city requires the state and county layers first, in order: a Florida DBPR vacation rental licence from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants (dwelling or condominium class, renewed annually), a sales tax account with the Department of Revenue, then a Broward County business tax receipt and a tourist development tax account with Records, Taxes and Treasury. With those in hand, apply to the city's Vacation Rental Registration Program through its LauderBuild portal. Registration is $880 and includes the first safety inspection; passing earns the Certificate of Compliance. The inspector verifies legal bedrooms — occupancy is capped at two persons per bedroom — and every rental must run a noise-level detection device. Certificates expire September 30 each year; renewal applications are due by August 1, cost $650 for a non-owner-occupied home, and include a fresh inspection.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for the Broward tourist development tax and the Florida sales tax, then collects and remits on every booking — the tourist development tax to Broward County, the sales tax and surtax to the Department of Revenue — with returns filed on schedule. We assist with the DBPR licence, the city registration and inspection preparation, and each renewal when August comes around.
Operating a vacation rental in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Lauderdale is a year-round, salt-air market. Humidity and summer storms make air conditioning, dehumidification and mold vigilance constant work; coastal hardware corrodes; and June through November calls for a hurricane plan — patio furniture stowed, shutters ready, dock lines checked on canal-front homes. Turnover pressure lands in February and March, when back-to-back stays run at the year's highest occupancy. The city registration also has to be kept, not just earned: the Certificate of Compliance is renewed every year with a fresh safety inspection, the required noise-detection device has to stay in service, and occupancy stays capped at two guests per legal bedroom. City notices and noise alerts go to the owner or a responsible party — with Fairly, your caretaker is that single point of contact, nearby, reachable, and in the home at every turnover.
Frequently asked questions
Are short-term rentals allowed in Fort Lauderdale?
Yes — throughout the city's residential neighborhoods, in homes of up to four units and in condominiums, with no cap or lottery. The city runs an annual registration: state licence and tax accounts first, then an application, a safety inspection and a Certificate of Compliance. Fairly assists with the application and every renewal.
What taxes does a Fort Lauderdale vacation rental pay?
13% on every stay of six months or less: Broward County's 6% tourist development tax, plus the 6% Florida sales tax and the county's 1% surtax. Fairly registers your home for both tax accounts and collects, remits and files the full amount on every booking.
What does the annual renewal involve?
Certificates of Compliance expire September 30 every year, and renewal applications are due by August 1. A non-owner-occupied home is re-inspected — legal bedrooms, life-safety items, the noise-detection device — before the new certificate issues. Fairly assists with the renewal application and inspection preparation, and your caretaker keeps the home ready between stays.
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.
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