Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Tampa, FL
From South Tampa bungalows to downtown and Channel District condos, Fairly runs Tampa homes for the week-and-longer stays the city allows, with listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing built around the late-winter peak, and Florida and Hillsborough County lodging taxes collected and remitted on every booking.
5.0
Average review in Tampa, FL
Fairly is the highest-rated vacation rental manager in Tampa — an Airbnb Superhost averaging 5.0 stars across 50 guest reviews, ahead of all 15 other managers tracked there. Fewer than 4% of stays rate below four stars. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Tampa market overview
Tampa draws a steadier, more practical crowd than the beach towns across the bay. Tampa General Hospital, Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of South Florida bring patients, families, visiting staff and academics for stays measured in weeks. Corporate relocations, project work and the Port Tampa Bay cruise terminal add more. Leisure guests come for the Riverwalk, Ybor City, Busch Gardens and the Gulf beaches half an hour west.
The calendar peaks in late winter. Occupancy among the area's best-run rentals climbs above 70% in February and March, when Yankees spring training at Steinbrenner Field, northern snowbirds and spring-break families overlap, and nightly rates reach their high for the year in March. Late spring and summer hold in the mid-50s, buoyed by Buccaneers and Lightning crowds and family travel. September and October, the heart of hurricane season, are the quietest months, with occupancy just under 50%. Visit Tampa Bay keeps the events calendar.
What homes earn in Tampa, FL
The chart shows what well-run Tampa rentals earn each month: 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 reflects full-time rentals rather than occasional ones. February and March are the strongest months, and September and October the softest, so a home's year depends heavily on how well it fills the late-winter peak. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $2,835 | 60% | $189 |
| Feb | $3,210 | 71% | $203 |
| Mar | $3,878 | 74% | $220 |
| Apr | $2,970 | 64% | $211 |
| May | $2,703 | 57% | $202 |
| Jun | $2,266 | 54% | $185 |
| Jul | $2,545 | 58% | $188 |
| Aug | $2,227 | 54% | $172 |
| Sep | $1,850 | 47% | $173 |
| Oct | $1,953 | 48% | $171 |
| Nov | $2,061 | 50% | $180 |
| Dec | $2,453 | 56% | $185 |
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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 Tampa, FL
Can your Tampa home rent short-term?
Yes, for stays of seven nights or longer. Tampa's zoning code defines a dwelling unit, which covers a house, townhouse or condo, as one occupied by its owner or rented on a weekly or longer basis. A stay shorter than a week is transient lodging, a use the city's residential districts do not allow, and the city cites homes rented for less through code enforcement. So a home inside city limits rents by the week or the month, which suits the medical, relocation and seasonal guests who fill much of Tampa's calendar.
Lodging taxes
Every stay of six months or less owes 13.5% of the rent. Florida's 6% sales tax and Hillsborough County's 1.5% discretionary surtax go to the Florida Department of Revenue. Hillsborough County's 6% tourist development tax is owed separately to the Hillsborough County Tax Collector, monthly, and is late if not paid by the 20th. The City of Tampa levies no lodging tax of its own.
Licensing and registration
A whole home rented more than three times in a calendar year for stays shorter than 30 days or a calendar month needs a Florida vacation rental licence from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants: the Dwelling licence for a house or small multi-unit building, the Condominium licence for a condo. Weekly stays fall inside that test, so most Tampa rentals need one.
The city has no short-term rental registration of its own. City Council has asked staff to look at creating one, so expect that to change.
Outside city limits
Many homes with a Tampa mailing address sit in unincorporated Hillsborough County, where the county's rules apply rather than the city's. The county has adopted an annual registration for short-term rentals there, with a yearly fee and inspections when Code Enforcement calls for them. The same 13.5% in lodging taxes applies. The home's location relative to the city limit, not its address, decides which rules govern it.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for Florida sales tax and the Hillsborough County tourist development tax, collect and remit both on every booking, and assist with the state vacation rental licence and, outside city limits, the county registration.
Operating a vacation rental in Tampa, FL
Running a Tampa rental means planning around stays of a week or more. Turnovers come less often than in a nightly market, but each guest lives in the home: an air conditioner, water heater or dishwasher that fails mid-stay has to be fixed while they are there, and in a Tampa summer a dead air conditioner is an emergency the same afternoon.
Heat and humidity are the constant. Air-conditioning service, mould prevention and pest control matter more here than almost anywhere a guest will stay. Summer afternoons bring thunderstorms that test roofs and gutters, and from June through November a hurricane plan is part of the job: outdoor furniture secured, shutters ready, and a walkthrough once a storm has passed, with particular care in the low-lying waterfront neighbourhoods of South Tampa and Davis Islands.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on the rental revenue your Tampa home earns, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, so we are paid only when it books. That covers your listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing for the February and March peak, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Florida sales tax and the Hillsborough County tourist development tax.
Not for stays under a week inside city limits. Tampa's zoning code treats a house, townhouse or condo as a dwelling rented on a weekly or longer basis, and shorter stays are transient lodging the residential districts do not allow. Stays of seven nights or more are fine, and they suit the hospital, relocation and snowbird guests who book much of the year.
Hillsborough County's. Homes in unincorporated Hillsborough need the county's annual short-term rental registration, which carries a yearly fee and inspections when Code Enforcement calls for them. A Florida vacation rental licence is needed either side of the line, and the same 13.5% in state and county lodging taxes applies.
February and March. Occupancy among the area's best-run rentals passes 70% as spring training, snowbirds and spring-break families overlap, and nightly rates peak in March. Summer holds in the mid-50s, and September and October, in hurricane season, are the quietest months, just under 50%.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Tampa, FL and neighboring areas
Available 24/7