Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Surf City, NC
In the middle of Topsail Island, Surf City fills with families from late spring through August, and Fairly runs your vacation rental here: listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through the summer peak, guest messaging, a caretaker who lives nearby, and North Carolina and local occupancy taxes collected and remitted.
4.8
Average review in Surf City, NC
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.
Surf City market overview
Surf City sits in the middle of Topsail Island, a barrier island between the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway, with the town spreading across the bridge onto the mainland. Visitors come for wide beaches reached from dozens of public access points along North and South Shore Drive, fishing off the pier, the sound side for boating and paddling, and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, which is in town. North Topsail Beach adjoins it to the north.
Demand is a summer story. Occupancy among top rentals climbs from about a quarter in March to over half in May, then reaches nearly four nights in five in June and close to nine in ten in July, when nightly rates peak. August stays around two-thirds full and September near half. From November through February calendars run a fifth full or less.
What homes earn in Surf City, NC
The chart follows the top tier of Surf City vacation rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo: homes with an average review score of 4.8 or higher that were available or rented at least 300 days of the year. Earnings build through spring, peak sharply in June and July and taper through September, with a long, quiet winter. Where a home lands depends on whether it is oceanfront, soundfront or on the mainland, how many it sleeps and features such as a pool or elevator. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $770 | 9% | $276 |
| Feb | $694 | 10% | $248 |
| Mar | $2,474 | 26% | $307 |
| Apr | $4,498 | 42% | $357 |
| May | $6,769 | 53% | $412 |
| Jun | $11,653 | 78% | $498 |
| Jul | $14,267 | 87% | $529 |
| Aug | $9,928 | 67% | $478 |
| Sep | $6,059 | 51% | $396 |
| Oct | $3,037 | 31% | $316 |
| Nov | $1,802 | 21% | $286 |
| Dec | $1,428 | 16% | $288 |
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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 Surf City, NC
Can your home be a short-term rental here?
Yes. Surf City is an incorporated town that spans Pender and Onslow counties, and its zoning ordinance lists short-term rentals, stays of under 90 days for vacation or leisure, as a permitted use in every residential district, as well as in the C-1 commercial and mixed-use districts. No extra standards attach to that use, and the town runs no short-term rental permit, registration, cap or lottery.
Lodging and occupancy taxes
North Carolina treats the rental of a residence or cottage as a retail sale, so sales and use tax applies to the whole guest charge, cleaning, pet and other fees included: 6.75% in Pender County and 7% in Onslow County. Two 3% occupancy taxes sit on the same receipts, and which county your home is in decides where they go.
- Pender County side: the town's 3% and Pender County's 3% are both paid to the Town of Surf City each month, for 12.75% in all.
- Onslow County side: the town's 3% is paid to the town; Onslow County's 3% is filed with the Onslow County Finance Office by the 15th of the following month, and a return is due even in a month with no bookings. The total is 13%.
Registering your rental
Every registration here is a tax registration: a sales and use tax account with the North Carolina Department of Revenue, the town's monthly accommodation tax return with the Surf City Finance Department, and on the Onslow side, an account with Onslow County Finance.
Rules that affect operating
Each residential vacation rental must have at least one rollout trash cart for every four bedrooms, and any room with a place to sleep, sofa beds included, counts as a bedroom. Carts go out no earlier than noon the day before collection and come back by 6 p.m. the day after; on the island, collection is Monday from Roland Avenue south and Tuesday north of it, and island properties can add a Friday pickup from May through September. Belongings left on the beach between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. are removed. Under the North Carolina Vacation Rental Act, a stay of fewer than 90 days needs a written vacation rental agreement.
How Fairly handles it
We register your home for North Carolina sales and use tax and the occupancy taxes that apply on your side of the county line, and collect and remit them on every booking.
Operating a vacation rental in Surf City, NC
Operating in Surf City means fitting most of the year's turnovers into June, July and August, when stays run back to back and island traffic is at its heaviest. Salt air, sand and humidity wear on decks, stairs, locks and air conditioning, and hurricane season overlaps the busiest months, so storm preparation and a walkthrough afterwards belong on the calendar. Town rules set the rhythm of each changeover: a vacation rental needs one rollout trash cart for every four bedrooms, carts go to the curb no earlier than noon the day before collection and must be back by 6 p.m. the day after, and gear left on the beach overnight is removed. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby, so carts, beach gear and checks after a storm are handled on time.
Frequently asked questions
A flat 20% commission on rental revenue, paid only when your Surf City home books, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees. It covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing across the short summer peak and the long off-season, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting North Carolina sales tax and the town and county occupancy taxes.
Yes. Surf City's zoning ordinance permits short-term rentals, stays of under 90 days, in every residential district and in the C-1 and mixed-use districts, on the island and the mainland. The town has no short-term rental permit, cap or lottery. What it requires is tax registration, a rollout trash cart for every four bedrooms, and a written vacation rental agreement under state law.
On the Pender County side, 12.75%: 6.75% North Carolina sales tax plus 3% town and 3% Pender County occupancy taxes, both paid to the town. On the Onslow County side, 13%: 7% sales tax, the town's 3%, and Onslow County's 3% paid to the county. They apply to the whole guest charge, cleaning fees included, and Fairly collects and remits them on every booking.
June through August. Occupancy among Surf City's top rentals passes half in May, reaches nearly four nights in five in June and close to nine in ten in July, when nightly rates peak, and holds around two-thirds in August. September is a shoulder month near half full, and November through February are quiet, a fifth full or less.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Surf City, NC and neighboring areas
Available 24/7