Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Barnstable, MA
Whether your house is a walk from the Hyannis ferry docks or tucked into Osterville or Cotuit, Fairly runs your Barnstable vacation rental from the summer rush to the quiet winter, with listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, a caretaker who lives nearby, and the Massachusetts room occupancy excise collected and remitted on every stay.
4.8
Average review in Barnstable, MA
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.
Barnstable market overview
The Town of Barnstable reaches across Cape Cod from Cape Cod Bay to Nantucket Sound and is made up of seven villages. Hyannis is the commercial center and the port for ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. Centerville, Osterville and Cotuit line the south shore, Marstons Mills sits inland among freshwater ponds, and Barnstable Village and West Barnstable face the bay, where the Sandy Neck barrier beach shelters Barnstable Harbor. Guests come for the town beaches, Craigville and Kalmus on the Sound and Sandy Neck on the bay, and for the islands a ferry ride away. Mashpee borders the town to the west, past Cotuit and Marstons Mills, and Yarmouth to the east, just beyond Hyannis; Fairly's Cape Cod page compares the towns across the Cape.
Among top-performing homes, occupancy runs about 81% in July and 74% in August, and nightly rates peak in those months. June is the stronger shoulder at around 43%, with September near 31%. From November through April occupancy stays below 10%, and nightly rates fall to roughly half of July's.
What homes earn in Barnstable, MA
The chart follows top-performing vacation rentals across Barnstable's seven villages: 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. July and August earn the bulk of the year, June adds a shoulder that September only partly matches, and winter contributes little. A home's result depends on its village, its distance to the water and how many guests it sleeps. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $351 | 4% | $283 |
| Feb | $288 | 4% | $257 |
| Mar | $364 | 5% | $235 |
| Apr | $560 | 6% | $311 |
| May | $2,172 | 16% | $438 |
| Jun | $7,250 | 43% | $562 |
| Jul | $15,870 | 81% | $632 |
| Aug | $14,246 | 74% | $621 |
| Sep | $4,976 | 31% | $535 |
| Oct | $1,884 | 14% | $434 |
| Nov | $749 | 8% | $312 |
| Dec | $746 | 7% | $344 |
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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 Barnstable, MA
Short-term rentals operate in all seven villages
Short-term rentals operate throughout Barnstable, and the Town regulates them through registration rather than a permit or a cap. There is no ordinance written specifically for short-term rentals: they fall under the same Board of Health registration that covers every rental home in town. The Town Council has considered a dedicated short-term rental ordinance and zoning amendment before and has not adopted either. One zoning limit applies: an accessory dwelling unit may not be used as a short-term rental, and the main house may not be rented short-term while its owner is living in the property's ADU.
Lodging taxes
Every stay of 31 days or fewer carries the 5.7% Massachusetts room occupancy excise, Barnstable's 6% local room occupancy excise and the 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise, 14.45% in all. Barnstable has not adopted the community impact fee that some Cape towns charge on professionally managed rentals. The excise applies to everything a guest pays for the stay, cleaning fees included, and all three parts go to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on a single monthly return.
Registering your rental
The state comes first. Each property is registered with the Department of Revenue on MassTaxConnect, which issues a Certificate of Registration to post inside the home. State law also requires at least $1 million of liability insurance for each short-term rental, unless the booking platform carries equal or greater coverage.
Then the town. Under Chapter 170 of the Town Code, no home may be rented or offered for rent until it is registered with the Board of Health, which is done online through the Health Division. The Board sets the home's number of bedrooms and the most people it may lawfully accommodate, and both appear on a certificate of registration posted conspicuously inside. Certificates expire on December 31 and are renewed every year. Owners give the Board a current address and phone number, and an owner who lives outside Massachusetts names a resident agent within the state. Registered homes are subject to inspection by Town staff, and the Town runs a 24-hour hotline for rental complaints.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for the room occupancy excise, collects the state, Barnstable and Water Protection Fund excises on every booking, and files and remits the monthly return. We also assist with the Board of Health registration and its yearly renewal.
Operating a vacation rental in Barnstable, MA
Hyannis is the Cape's ferry port and its busiest village, and its roads are most crowded on the summer weekends when most stays change over, so turnovers across the south-shore villages need slack in the schedule. July and August bring departures and arrivals back to back, with sand, beach gear and linens to reset between every group.
Barnstable's rental ordinance attaches duties to each stay. Every arriving party is told about the town's rental and noise ordinances, the owner keeps a register of occupants for two years, guest parking may take up no more than a quarter of the front yard, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are tested at least once a year. Off-season, salt air and winter storms make October through May the time for roof, deck and heating work, and an empty house still needs checking after each nor'easter.
Frequently asked questions
We charge a flat 20% of the rental revenue your Barnstable home earns, with no hidden fees and no long-term contract. Because it is a commission, the fee follows your bookings rather than arriving as a monthly bill, and it covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing, guest messaging and lodging-tax remittance. Your caretaker keeps the guest cleaning fee and a share of Fairly's commission.
Barnstable has no separate short-term rental permit. Every rental home registers with the Board of Health under Chapter 170 of the Town Code, renews each year, and posts a certificate showing its bedrooms and occupancy limit. The home also needs a Massachusetts Department of Revenue Certificate of Registration. Fairly registers your home for the room occupancy excise and assists with the town registration.
Stays of 31 days or fewer carry 14.45% in room occupancy excise: the 5.7% state excise, Barnstable's 6% local excise and the 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise. Barnstable does not charge the community impact fee some Cape towns add. The whole guest charge is taxed, cleaning fees included, and Fairly collects and remits it on every booking.
Some, but summer decides the year. Top-performing homes run about 81% occupancy in July and 74% in August. June is the better shoulder at around 43%, ahead of September at about 31%, and from November through April occupancy stays below 10%. The off-season is when owner stays, maintenance and winter checks fit best.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Barnstable, MA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7