Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Kihei, HI
Fairly runs Kihei vacation rentals for owners who want their home earning without the work: listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing tuned to Maui's winter peak, guest messaging, a caretaker on the island for every turnover, and Hawaiʻi's and Maui County's lodging taxes collected and remitted on every stay.
4.8
Average review in Kihei, HI
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our homes average 4.84 stars across 21,000+ guest reviews. Fewer than 4% of stays rate below four stars. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Kihei market overview
Kihei runs along Maui's sunny south shore, a string of beach parks and low-rise condominiums on South Kihei Road between Māʻalaea Bay and Wailea. Guests come for calm morning water at the Kamaʻole beach parks, snorkel trips to Molokini, and dry, reliable weather, with Kahului Airport about half an hour away. In winter, humpback whales gather in the channel offshore, the heart of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and birders walk the coastal boardwalk at Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge at the north end of town.
Winter is the season. Top-rated rentals here fill close to nine nights in ten in February, and January through March carry the year's highest nightly rates. Spring and summer hold steady at lower rates, the calendar is softest from August through October, and holiday travel lifts December into the next peak.
What homes earn in Kihei, HI
The chart tracks top-performing vacation rentals in Kihei — homes on Airbnb and Vrbo with a review score of 4.8 or higher that were available or rented at least 300 days of the year. Their earnings crest in February, when winter visitors and whale season fill nearly every night at the year's highest rates, and bottom out from August through October. A home's view, distance to the beach and building amenities decide where it lands within that range. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $7,949 | 77% | $333 |
| Feb | $8,331 | 87% | $342 |
| Mar | $7,219 | 71% | $328 |
| Apr | $5,632 | 63% | $298 |
| May | $5,408 | 61% | $286 |
| Jun | $5,436 | 60% | $302 |
| Jul | $5,689 | 62% | $296 |
| Aug | $4,913 | 56% | $283 |
| Sep | $4,770 | 60% | $265 |
| Oct | $5,011 | 61% | $265 |
| Nov | $5,749 | 67% | $286 |
| Dec | $6,930 | 69% | $324 |
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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 Kihei, HI
Can my Kihei home be a vacation rental?
It depends on the building's zoning. Kihei has no city government; the County of Maui's zoning code governs every home here, and it treats rentals of less than 180 days by building:
- Hotel-zoned condominiums and resorts may rent to vacationers outright, and the county's phase-out does not reach them.
- Apartment-district condominiums on the county's short-term occupancy list — the Minatoya list, covering much of the condo strip along South Kihei Road and several Wailea complexes — may keep renting only until a fixed end date. Ordinance 5909 phases vacation rentals out of the A-1 and A-2 apartment districts: in South Maui the last permitted night is December 31, 2030, and the use must stop on January 1, 2031. Timeshare units and buildings operating under a variance are exempt. The County Council has asked the Maui Planning Commission to consider rezoning selected buildings into new H-3 and H-4 hotel districts that would let them continue; until a rezoning is enacted, the end date applies.
- Apartment-district buildings that are not on the list cannot rent for less than 180 days.
- Single-family homes in residential districts need a county Short-Term Rental Home permit, and the county caps how many it issues in the Kihei-Makena area.
Buying to rent
A buyer who wants to keep renting after 2030 should look at hotel-zoned buildings and confirm a parcel's zoning with the county before closing. Elsewhere in Hawaiʻi, our Kapaʻa page covers Kauaʻi's Visitor Destination Areas and our Hilo page the County of Hawaiʻi's registration rules.
Lodging taxes
The state Department of Taxation administers two taxes on every stay: the 11% transient accommodations tax, and the general excise tax at 4% plus Maui County's 0.5% surcharge. A home registers for both on one state application, and the transient accommodations tax applies to the whole guest charge, mandatory cleaning fees included. Maui County adds its own 3% transient accommodations tax, calculated from the state return and paid to the county Department of Finance. The state registration certificate, with the name and phone number of a contact on Maui, must be posted inside the rental. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can serve as that contact.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for the state general excise and transient accommodations taxes, collects all three taxes on every booking, and files and remits the state returns and the county payments. For a single-family home, we also assist with the Short-Term Rental Home permit application.
Operating a vacation rental in Kihei, HI
Most Kihei rentals are condominiums, so running one well means working inside the association's rules — check-in and parking procedures, pool and quiet hours — as much as caring for the unit itself. Salt air and steady trade winds wear on air conditioners, lanai furniture and appliances, and sand travels in with every guest, so upkeep is continuous rather than seasonal. Winter brings back-to-back turnovers at the year's highest rates, and the Central Pacific hurricane season, June through November, calls for a storm plan. Hawaiʻi requires a contact on Maui for every rental; your Fairly caretaker lives nearby, can serve as that contact, and handles each turnover personally. In a condo covered by the county's apartment-district phase-out, the booking calendar also has to close by the end of 2030.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly charges a flat 20% commission on the rental revenue your Kihei home earns, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees. It covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through the winter peak, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Hawaiʻi's and Maui County's lodging taxes. Your caretaker earns the cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of Fairly's commission.
It depends on the building's zoning. Hotel-zoned condos can rent with no end date. Apartment-district condos on the county's short-term occupancy list, the Minatoya list, can rent through December 31, 2030, after which Ordinance 5909 ends the use. Apartment-district buildings off the list can't rent for under 180 days, and single-family homes need a county Short-Term Rental Home permit, which is capped.
Every stay carries Hawaiʻi's 11% transient accommodations tax, the general excise tax at 4% plus Maui County's 0.5% surcharge, and Maui County's own 3% transient accommodations tax. The state taxes are filed with the Department of Taxation and the county tax is paid to the county. Fairly registers your home for the state taxes and collects and remits all three on every booking.
In winter. February is the strongest month, with top-rated rentals booked nearly nine nights in ten at the year's highest rates, and January and March close behind. Rates ease through spring and summer, the quietest stretch runs August through October, and December's holiday travel starts the next peak.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Kihei, HI and neighboring areas
Available 24/7