Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Big Bass Lake, PA
Behind the gates of Big Bass Lake, Fairly lists, prices and fills your home through the July and August peak and the quieter winter weekends, answers every guest, and keeps a vetted local caretaker on the house who knows the community's rules as well as you do.
4.8
Average review in Big Bass Lake, PA
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our homes average 4.84 stars across 20,000+ guest reviews. 96% of our reviews are four stars or better. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Big Bass Lake market overview
Big Bass Lake is a gated, private lake community in the northern Poconos near Gouldsboro, and its renters come for what the association maintains: the lake and its recreational facilities, including the clubhouse and recreation centre, open to renters who buy amenity passes. Gouldsboro and Tobyhanna state parks sit just south, with more water, trails and winter recreation, and the region's ski areas are a short drive away.
Demand here is a summer story. July and August are the market's busiest months, with top homes booked close to two nights in three, and June starts the climb. Winter holds up better than spring: December through February book about a third of nights, while March and April fall to roughly one night in five. The association allows one household per home and no group or event use, so bookings here are household stays rather than parties. For the parks, see Gouldsboro State Park.
What homes earn in Big Bass Lake, PA
The chart above follows entire-home rentals in the Big Bass Lake community listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, limited to homes with a guest review score of 4.8 or higher that are available or rented at least 300 days a year. It shows what a well-run home here earns in each month, and how much of the year's income arrives in July and August. Your own home's figure will depend on its size, its lake access and how it is presented. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $3,278 | 34% | $382 |
| Feb | $2,935 | 33% | $392 |
| Mar | $1,190 | 19% | $343 |
| Apr | $1,204 | 22% | $351 |
| May | $1,772 | 25% | $358 |
| Jun | $4,031 | 41% | $373 |
| Jul | $6,881 | 64% | $426 |
| Aug | $6,885 | 66% | $412 |
| Sep | $2,741 | 34% | $371 |
| Oct | $2,940 | 33% | $343 |
| Nov | $2,639 | 31% | $356 |
| Dec | $3,444 | 36% | $372 |
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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 Big Bass Lake, PA
Lodging taxes
Two lodging taxes apply to stays of less than 30 days. Pennsylvania levies its 6% Hotel Occupancy Tax, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, and the county adds its own. Most of Big Bass Lake lies in Lackawanna County, whose 7% Hotel Tax is collected by the Lackawanna County Treasurer, for 13% in all. The streets on the Wayne County side owe Wayne County's 3% Hotel Room Rental Excise Tax instead, filed quarterly with the Wayne County Treasurer.
Which rules apply to your home
Short-term rentals are allowed in Big Bass Lake, under a rental policy the association publishes. What else you need depends on which township your street sits in, because the community spans three.
Clifton Township, Lackawanna County, holds most of the community. Its short-term rental ordinance exempts homes within the Big Bass Lake Community Association, so these homes need no township permit and are governed by the association's rental policy.
Covington Township, Lackawanna County, covers a few streets on the community's edge and grants no such exemption. Homes there need an annual township short-term rental permit before renting. The application requires a Lackawanna County hotel tax certificate, a Pennsylvania sales tax licence and sewage system details. Overnight guests are limited to two per bedroom, day guests to half that number, and parking to on-site spaces, one per bedroom. A local contact must respond to the township within one hour.
Lehigh Township, Wayne County, has its own short-term rental ordinance, which limits overnight guests to two per bedroom and caps everyone on the property at 12.
The association's rental policy
Every owner who rents registers each year with the Big Bass Lake Community Association by June 1, pays its annual rental registration fee and views its short-term rental best-practices workshop. Each rental party must be registered and approved before arrival. No more than 12 people may be on any property, day guests included, with lower limits for smaller homes. Hotel, event and group use is not permitted, and one member of each party must stay on site as a 24-hour contact.
How Fairly handles it
We collect and remit the state and county lodging taxes on every booking and register your home for both. We assist with the association's annual and per-stay registrations and, where one applies, with the Covington permit and its renewal.
Operating a vacation rental in Big Bass Lake, PA
Operating a rental at Big Bass Lake means working within the association's process on every stay. Each rental party has to be registered and approved before it reaches the main gate, guests must show the property address, a driver's licence and a plate number on arrival, and any change to the party needs its own approved change form. When the association's Safety Enforcement calls about a lock-out or a noise complaint, the owner or managing agent has one hour to respond, and repeated misses can cost the home its rental privileges.
Summer turnovers come fast, with back-to-back weekends from June through August, while winter adds snow on the community's roads and pipes to protect in a house that may sit empty midweek. With Fairly, your caretaker is your single point of contact: they live nearby, handle every turnover personally, and are the kind of reachable local presence the one-hour rule calls for. You keep final say over your home.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly charges a flat 20% commission on rental revenue, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees, and nothing is due until the home books. That covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting the lodging taxes. Your caretaker is paid the cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of Fairly's commission.
Yes. Homes in the Clifton Township part of the community, which is most of it, need no township permit and follow the Big Bass Lake Community Association's rental policy. Homes on the Covington Township streets also need an annual township permit, and Lehigh Township in Wayne County applies its own ordinance. Every renting owner registers with the association each year.
The association caps every property at 12 people at any time, counting day guests, and sets lower limits for smaller homes. In Covington and Lehigh townships the township ordinances add a limit of two overnight guests per bedroom. Every member of a rental party, including day guests, has to be on the registration the association approves before arrival.
Mostly in summer. July and August are the strongest months, with top homes booked close to two nights in three, and June starts the climb. December through February hold up at about a third of nights, while March and April are the quietest stretch of the year, at roughly one night in five.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Big Bass Lake, PA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7