Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Frankfort, MI
From cottages above Betsie Bay to homes on Crystal Lake and the shore toward Point Betsie, Fairly runs Frankfort vacation rentals end to end: pricing for a short, intense summer, guest messaging, a caretaker who lives nearby, and Michigan's lodging tax collected and remitted on every stay.
4.8
Average review in Frankfort, MI
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.
Frankfort market overview
Frankfort sits where the Betsie River meets Lake Michigan, with a sand beach and a pier lighthouse at the harbor mouth, Crystal Lake a few minutes south, and the southern end of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a short drive north. Glen Arbor lies farther up M-22, in the middle of the Lakeshore. Visitors come for the beaches, Point Betsie Lighthouse, the Betsie Valley Trail, which starts in town, and boating and fishing out of the harbor.
Demand is concentrated and steep. Among the area's top-rated homes, occupancy climbs to about half in June, peaks above 80% in July and stays near three-quarters in August, when nightly rates are highest. September keeps close to half, and October holds around a third. From November through April occupancy sits near 10%, so a Frankfort home earns most of its year in roughly fourteen summer weeks, and how well those weeks are priced and turned over decides the result.
What homes earn in Frankfort, MI
The chart shows what top-performing vacation rentals around Frankfort earn month by month: homes listed on Airbnb and Vrbo with a guest review score of 4.8 or higher that are available or booked at least 300 days a year. Restricting it to homes open most of the year keeps summer-only listings out, so the quiet winter months reflect what a full-time rental here actually books. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $672 | 11% | $197 |
| Feb | $619 | 10% | $221 |
| Mar | $555 | 9% | $199 |
| Apr | $713 | 11% | $216 |
| May | $1,937 | 22% | $284 |
| Jun | $4,910 | 49% | $334 |
| Jul | $9,692 | 81% | $386 |
| Aug | $8,696 | 75% | $374 |
| Sep | $4,847 | 45% | $359 |
| Oct | $2,625 | 29% | $292 |
| Nov | $714 | 10% | $238 |
| Dec | $826 | 13% | $205 |
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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 Frankfort, MI
Lodging tax
Every booking of a Frankfort-area home for a month or less carries Michigan's 6% use tax on accommodations, levied under the state Use Tax Act and administered by the Michigan Department of Treasury. The rate is the same in the city and in the surrounding townships.
Which rules apply to your home
A Frankfort mailing address covers the City of Frankfort and several townships around it, and each issues its own short-term rental licence. All three below allow whole-home rentals under 30 days, with a licence.
City of Frankfort. The city's short-term rental ordinance allows rentals in all of its residential zones with a city permit, issued for one, two or three years after a fire inspection and proof of insurance. The city caps permits at 120 units and keeps a waiting list once they are taken; an owner may hold two. A permit ends when the home is sold, but a buyer with no other city rental can take over the spot by contacting the city within 15 days of closing. Sleeping occupancy is two people per legal bedroom plus four.
Crystal Lake Township, south of the city around Crystal Lake, requires an annual township licence with an inspection, proof of liability insurance and well and septic records, and caps the number of licences issued each year. An owner may hold one, and renewals filed after November 1 are treated as new applications.
Lake Township, north of the city toward Point Betsie, requires an annual township licence with proof of liability insurance, also under a township-wide cap. An owner may hold two, and a renewal filed by November 1 by a licensee with no violation notice in the past year keeps its place under the cap. A buyer has 30 days after closing to apply to take over the licence.
In both townships, occupancy is two people per legal bedroom plus two, to a maximum of 12.
The local contact
The city and both townships require a local contact available 24 hours a day while the home is rented, able to respond to a complaint within an hour. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can serve as that contact.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for Michigan's use tax, collect it on every booking and remit it to Treasury, and assist with the city or township licence application and its renewal.
Operating a vacation rental in Frankfort, MI
Operating here means fitting most of the year's turnovers into June through August, with back-to-back changeovers and sand tracked in from the beach. Winter is the other half of the job: lake-effect snow, freezing temperatures and long empty stretches call for regular walkthroughs, heat and plumbing checks, and snow cleared before any arrival. Inside the city, overnight on-street parking is allowed only from April 1 to October 31, so guests need the home's own parking the rest of the year. Many homes outside town run on a private well and septic system, and Crystal Lake Township's licence expects well testing and septic pumping records to be kept current. Each local rental rule also asks for a contact who can respond to a complaint within an hour, around the clock; your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can be that person.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, and Fairly is paid only when your Frankfort home books. The rate covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through the summer peak and the long off-season, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Michigan's 6% use tax on every stay.
Yes, with a licence from whichever government your home sits in. The City of Frankfort allows rentals in all its residential zones but caps permits at 120 and keeps a waiting list, and a permit ends on sale. Crystal Lake Township and Lake Township, around the city, each issue annual licences under their own caps.
It depends on the legal bedroom count. Inside the city, sleeping occupancy is two people per legal bedroom plus four. In Crystal Lake and Lake townships it is two per bedroom plus two, with a ceiling of 12 people however many bedrooms the home has, children and infants included.
July and August. Occupancy among the area's top-rated homes runs above 80% in July and near three-quarters in August, with the year's highest nightly rates. June and September each hold around half, October about a third, and November through April stays near 10%, so the summer weeks carry most of a home's year.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Frankfort, MI and neighboring areas
Available 24/7