Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Pinellas County, FL
From Gulf-front cottages on the barrier islands to bayside homes in Largo and Seminole, Fairly runs Pinellas County vacation rentals to the rules of the jurisdiction each one actually sits in, prices them for a long winter season and a busy summer, and puts a caretaker who lives nearby in charge of every turnover.
4.8
Average review in Pinellas County, FL
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.
What our guests say
Pinellas County market overview
Pinellas County is the peninsula between Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico: a run of barrier-island beach towns between Clearwater Beach and Pass-a-Grille, with St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo and Seminole on the mainland behind them. Visit St. Pete/Clearwater covers what draws visitors through the year.
Demand peaks in late winter. Among the county's top-performing listings, occupancy reaches about 77% in February and 84% in March, when nightly rates top out near $336 and the median listing earns about $6,500 for the month. Summer is a second season: occupancy holds above 60% in June and July as families come for the beaches. It falls away after that, to about 37% in September, the quietest month. Across a full year, a top listing here earns a median of about $41,800.
What homes earn in Pinellas County, FL
The chart shows what top-performing vacation rentals across Pinellas County earned each month over the last year: homes listed on Airbnb and Vrbo with a review score of 4.8 or higher, available or rented at least 300 days a year. It spans the whole county, beach towns and mainland alike, so a home's own figures depend on where it sits and how short a stay its city allows. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $2,870 | 51% | $229 |
| Feb | $4,723 | 77% | $283 |
| Mar | $6,486 | 84% | $335 |
| Apr | $4,719 | 67% | $309 |
| May | $3,746 | 57% | $284 |
| Jun | $4,018 | 62% | $306 |
| Jul | $4,279 | 64% | $300 |
| Aug | $2,611 | 46% | $253 |
| Sep | $1,751 | 37% | $230 |
| Oct | $1,854 | 38% | $223 |
| Nov | $2,109 | 41% | $233 |
| Dec | $2,273 | 42% | $242 |
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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 Pinellas County, FL
Can your home rent short-term?
It depends on which side of a city limit the home sits. Each Pinellas city sets its own rental rules, and the county's apply only outside them. Many homes with a Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Seminole or Largo mailing address are in unincorporated county, so the location decides, not the address.
Unincorporated Pinellas
The county allows short-term rentals with a short-term rental Certificate of Use for any home rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days. It requires a safety inspection before issue and every two years after, annual renewal, occupancy of two per bedroom plus two in a common area (ten at most), and a posted notice naming the responsible party.
City by city
- Largo permits short-term rentals in every residential area. A home needs a city compliance inspection and a Largo Fire Rescue life-safety inspection, which Fire repeats every year, plus a responsible party reachable around the clock. See the city's short-term rental page.
- Indian Rocks Beach permits them in its residential districts with a city vacation rental registration, renewed yearly with a fresh inspection. Occupancy is capped at two per bedroom plus two, ten at most.
- St. Petersburg allows stays under 30 days at a residential property no more than three times in any 365 days, so homes in the city rent by the month.
- Clearwater excludes rentals of less than a month from residential use on residentially zoned land.
- Seminole allows temporary lodging, meaning stays under a month more than three times a year, only in its commercial and industrial districts.
- St. Pete Beach bars stays under a month in its single-family and low-density neighborhoods, which take in the canal streets off the bay side of Gulf Boulevard, and allows them three times a year in Pass-a-Grille and in the city's scattered medium-density blocks, mostly along the bay (RM). The city's zoning map shows each block.
- Madeira Beach prohibits rentals under six months on the single-family islands out in Boca Ciega Bay and a pocket at the north end by the causeway (R-1), and under three months in the canal-front neighborhoods just east of Gulf Boulevard (R-2). The Gulf-side strip west of Gulf Boulevard, from the north city limit to John's Pass, allows nightly rentals (R-3). Elsewhere, a city certificate of compliance is required, tied to state licensing and a city business tax receipt held since before 2006.
State licence
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation licenses a home as a vacation rental once it is rented more than three times a calendar year for stays under 30 days.
Lodging taxes
Every stay of six months or less is taxable. Florida's 6% sales tax and Pinellas County's 1% surtax go to the Florida Department of Revenue; the county's 6% tourist development tax goes to the Pinellas County Tax Collector. That is 13% everywhere in the county.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for Florida sales tax and the Pinellas County tourist development tax, and collect and remit both on every booking. We assist with the county Certificate of Use or your city's registration and inspections, and with the state vacation rental licence.
Operating a vacation rental in Pinellas County, FL
Operating in Pinellas County means two seasons of turnover and six months of hurricane watch. Winter brings long stays, often a month or more, while summer brings week-long beach trips with quick changeovers between them. Hurricane season runs June through November, and storm surge is the threat that matters most on the barrier islands and the low-lying parts of the peninsula: shutters, outdoor furniture and flood preparations need a plan before a storm is named, and the home needs checking once it has passed. Salt air wears on air conditioners, screens and exterior fixtures year-round.
Several jurisdictions here require someone who can respond in person: Largo expects a responsible party who can reach the home within two hours, and Indian Rocks Beach within one. A caretaker who lives nearby, handles every turnover and knows the home is exactly that presence.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on your home's rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, so we are paid only when it books. That covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing for the winter and summer seasons, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Florida sales tax and the Pinellas County tourist development tax.
That depends on where it sits. Unincorporated Pinellas, Largo and Indian Rocks Beach allow it, each with its own certificate or inspections. St. Petersburg allows stays under 30 days three times a year, and Clearwater and Seminole keep stays under a month out of residential zones. St. Pete Beach and Madeira Beach restrict them by zone.
Unincorporated Pinellas County's. The county allows short-term rentals with a Certificate of Use, which brings a safety inspection, annual renewal and an occupancy limit of two per bedroom plus two, ten at most. You will also need a Florida vacation rental licence. The city's minimum-stay rules do not apply.
13% on every stay of six months or less, anywhere in the county: Florida's 6% sales tax and Pinellas County's 1% surtax, paid to the Department of Revenue, and the county's 6% tourist development tax, paid to the Pinellas County Tax Collector. Fairly collects and remits both on every booking.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Pinellas County, FL and neighboring areas
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