Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Chatham, MA
In Chatham, at the elbow of the Cape, a vacation home earns its year between late June and Labor Day. Fairly runs it through that stretch and the long quiet after, with listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, a caretaker close by, and the Massachusetts room occupancy excise collected and remitted on every stay.
4.9
Average review in Chatham, MA
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our Chatham homes average 4.9 stars across 21 guest reviews. 87% of those reviews are five stars. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Chatham market overview
Chatham sits at the elbow of Cape Cod, where the peninsula bends north, with Nantucket Sound along its south shore, the Atlantic to the east and Pleasant Bay to the north. The town takes in its Main Street village and harbor as well as North, South and West Chatham. Harwich is its neighbor to the west, sharing the Sound shore and Pleasant Bay. Off its southern tip lie the barrier islands of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, home to the largest nesting colony of common terns on the Atlantic seaboard.
Among top-performing homes, July runs above 85% occupancy and August above 80%, and August carries the year's highest nightly rates. June fills about half its nights and September about 40%, a stronger tail than spring offers. From November through April occupancy stays at 10% or below, and nightly rates fall to roughly half to three-fifths of August's. A Chatham home earns most of its year in about ten weeks. Fairly's Cape Cod page covers the rest of the peninsula.
What homes earn in Chatham, MA
The chart draws on top-performing vacation rentals in the Town of Chatham: 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. It shows a year built almost entirely in summer. July and August lead, June and September carry real revenue, and November through April add little. Where a specific home lands depends on its bedroom count, its water access or views, and its outdoor space. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $501 | 4% | $404 |
| Feb | $391 | 4% | $349 |
| Mar | $556 | 5% | $359 |
| Apr | $1,140 | 10% | $380 |
| May | $3,330 | 23% | $467 |
| Jun | $9,703 | 52% | $622 |
| Jul | $17,971 | 85% | $682 |
| Aug | $17,401 | 81% | $693 |
| Sep | $6,845 | 39% | $585 |
| Oct | $2,802 | 20% | $452 |
| Nov | $1,032 | 8% | $430 |
| Dec | $673 | 6% | $362 |
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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 Chatham, MA
Short-term rentals are allowed in Chatham
Chatham allows short-term rentals, whole homes included. The Town of Chatham governs every home in this market, from the Main Street village to North, South and West Chatham, and its Board of Health regulates rentals of 31 consecutive days or fewer through a rental certificate. The one use the town rules out is an accessory dwelling unit: under the ADU zoning bylaw Town Meeting adopted, an ADU may not be used as a short-term rental and must be rented year-round.
Lodging taxes
Every stay of 31 days or fewer carries the 5.7% Massachusetts room occupancy excise, Chatham's 6% local room occupancy excise and the 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise, 14.45% in total. It applies to the whole guest charge, cleaning fees included. Chatham levies no community impact fee. All three are reported to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue on one monthly return.
Registering your rental
The state registration comes first: each property is registered with the Department of Revenue on MassTaxConnect, and the Certificate of Registration it issues is posted inside the home. State insurance law sets a floor of $1 million in liability coverage per short-term rental, which the booking platform's own coverage can satisfy if it is equal or greater.
Then the town. The owner applies online to the Chatham Health Division for a rental certificate before the first guest arrives. The certificate is issued to the owner, renews every year, and ends when the property is sold, so a buyer registers the home again. A first-time application brings a Health Division inspection against the state housing code, covering smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a fire extinguisher, hot water and working doors, windows and locks. The Building Division separately issues an annual certificate of inspection.
Conditions that come with the certificate
Every listing must show the Chatham registration number. Occupancy is capped at two guests per bedroom plus two, counting bedrooms as the Board of Health defines them from the home's approved septic plan or sewer connection. On-site parking is required, and a local contact answers emergencies within two hours. The Board can suspend, modify or revoke a certificate, and a violation can bring a fine of $200 for each day it continues.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for the Massachusetts room occupancy excise, collects the state, Chatham and Water Protection Fund excises on every booking, and files and remits the monthly return. We also assist with the town rental certificate, its annual renewal and its inspections.
Operating a vacation rental in Chatham, MA
Chatham's summer turns over fast. Stays run back-to-back from late June through August, and each changeover means linens, sand and beach gear reset. The Board of Health requires household trash taken off the property after every stay, and at least weekly, and guests need on-site parking because the town allows no overnight parking on public roads. With water on three sides, homes take hard wear from wind and salt air, so roofs, decks, siding and heating get their attention off-season.
The town registration also names an operator or agent who must respond to an emergency within two hours of a call from the Health Division, police or fire department, with a 24-hour phone number posted in the home. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and handles every turnover personally, so someone who knows the house is never far from it when that two-hour clock matters.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% of rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees. Fairly earns its commission only on the bookings your Chatham home actually takes, and the rate covers pricing, guest messaging, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, and collecting and remitting the lodging taxes. The cleaning fee guests pay goes to your caretaker, who also earns a share of Fairly's commission.
Yes. Chatham allows short-term rentals, whole homes included. Each home needs a Massachusetts Certificate of Registration and a Board of Health rental certificate, which renews every year and is inspected when first issued. The certificate does not pass to a buyer, and an accessory dwelling unit may not be rented short-term.
Stays of 31 days or fewer carry 14.45%: the 5.7% state room occupancy excise, Chatham's 6% local excise and the 2.75% Cape Cod and Islands Water Protection Fund excise, cleaning fees included. Chatham charges no community impact fee. Fairly collects all three on every booking and remits them to the Department of Revenue.
The Board of Health caps occupancy at two guests per bedroom plus two, so a three-bedroom home sleeps up to eight. Bedrooms count as the Board defines them, from the home's approved septic plan or sewer connection, which can differ from the count in a listing. Guests also need parking on the property.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Chatham, MA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7