Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Anacortes, WA
Fairly manages vacation homes across Fidalgo Island, from the lakes and coves outside Anacortes to the shoreline near Deception Pass, with a vetted local caretaker on every turnover, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, and Washington's lodging taxes collected and remitted for you.
4.8
Average review in Anacortes, WA
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.
Anacortes market overview
Anacortes is the gateway to the San Juan Islands: Washington State Ferries sails from the terminal at the west end of town, and many visitors spend a night here before or after the crossing. Others come for Fidalgo Island itself, with the trails and lakes of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands, kayaking in sheltered coves, and the cliffs and beaches of Deception Pass State Park at the island's southern tip.
Demand follows the Salish Sea summer. In July and August the area's top-rated homes are booked on about 85% of nights at the year's highest rates, with June and September close behind. From November through January occupancy falls to about a third of nights, so the summer months carry most of a year's income and the shoulder seasons reward careful pricing.
What homes earn in Anacortes, WA
The chart follows the Anacortes area's best-run vacation rentals: entire homes listed on Airbnb and Vrbo with a review score of 4.8 or higher, available or booked at least 300 days a year. It shows how typical monthly revenue for those homes climbs into the July and August peak and eases through the wet months, so you can see the shape of a year before you commit. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $1,693 | 30% | $182 |
| Feb | $2,218 | 44% | $180 |
| Mar | $2,646 | 44% | $194 |
| Apr | $2,592 | 48% | $180 |
| May | $3,990 | 55% | $234 |
| Jun | $5,713 | 69% | $276 |
| Jul | $7,864 | 84% | $302 |
| Aug | $7,747 | 85% | $294 |
| Sep | $5,237 | 69% | $253 |
| Oct | $3,447 | 51% | $218 |
| Nov | $1,922 | 36% | $178 |
| Dec | $2,713 | 35% | $250 |
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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 Anacortes, WA
Can you rent here?
Whether a home can open as a new short-term rental depends on which side of the Anacortes city limit it sits. Outside the city, on Fidalgo Island's county land around its lakes and along the shoreline toward Deception Pass, Skagit County has no short-term rental permit or licence, and a whole home can be rented by the night. The home Fairly manages here is on county land south of the city.
Inside the City of Anacortes, new stays under 30 nights are not permitted in any zone. The city bars them from its residential zones (R1 through R4A, including Old Town) and has extended the ban to its commercial and mixed-use zones (C, CBD, MMU and CM). Rentals that held a city business licence before those changes may continue as long as the licence stays current. Rentals of 30 nights or more remain allowed citywide, and bed and breakfasts, where the owner lives on site, go through the city's own permit process. The city's short-term rental summary sets out the rules.
Washington's safety rules
State law applies on both sides of the line. Every short-term rental needs carbon monoxide alarms and a contact guests can reach during their stay, and must post the street address, emergency numbers, a floor plan showing fire exits and escape routes, the maximum occupancy and the operator's contact details inside the home (RCW 64.37.030). Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and can serve as that guest contact.
Lodging taxes
Stays under 30 nights owe Washington retail sales tax, the 6.5% state rate plus the local rate for the home's location, and a 2% special hotel-motel tax, which both the city and Skagit County levy. The local sales rate differs inside the city, in unincorporated Skagit County, and within the county's public transportation benefit area, so the combined rate depends on the address. The Department of Revenue republishes each location's rate every quarter in its lodging rate tables. All of it goes on one excise return, filed under the home's location code.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for Washington's sales and hotel-motel taxes, collects them on every booking and remits them to the Department of Revenue. For a licensed rental inside the city, we assist with keeping the city business licence current.
Operating a vacation rental in Anacortes, WA
Operating on Fidalgo Island means quick summer turnovers, with many guests planning their stay around a ferry sailing to or from the San Juans. Waterfront and lakeside homes take salt air and winter storms off the water, so decks, railings and exterior wood need regular attention, and gutters fill fast under the island's firs and madrones. Winters are mild but wet, which makes the slow months the time for deep cleans and repairs before the season returns.
Washington requires every short-term rental to give guests a contact who can respond during their stay. Your Fairly caretaker lives nearby and fills that role: a single point of contact who handles every turnover and walkthrough personally and knows the home well enough to catch a leak or a loose railing early.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly charges a flat 20% commission on rental revenue, paid only when the home books, with no long-term contract and no hidden fees. That covers listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, pricing through the summer peak and the quiet winter, guest messaging, and collecting and remitting Washington's sales and hotel-motel taxes on every stay.
Outside the city limits, yes: Skagit County has no short-term rental permit, and homes on Fidalgo Island's county land, around its lakes and toward Deception Pass, can rent by the night. Inside the City of Anacortes, new rentals under 30 nights are not allowed in any zone; only rentals that held a city business licence before the ban may continue.
Washington retail sales tax, the 6.5% state rate plus the local rate for the home's location, and a 2% special hotel-motel tax. The local rate differs between the city and unincorporated Skagit County, so the combined total depends on the address. Fairly registers your home for these taxes, collects them on every booking and remits them to the Department of Revenue.
July and August are the peak: the area's top-rated homes are booked on about 85% of nights, at the year's highest rates, with June and September close behind. From November through January occupancy falls to about a third of nights, which puts most of a year's income into the summer, so pricing and availability then matter most.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Anacortes, WA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7