Vacation Rental Management
Vacation Rental Management in Port Townsend, WA
From uptown Victorians to the quiet county roads just outside town, Fairly runs Port Townsend vacation rentals with a caretaker who lives nearby, listings on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, summer pricing built for the peak, and Washington's lodging taxes collected and remitted on every booking.
4.8
Average review in Port Townsend, WA
Fairly is an Airbnb Superhost, and our homes average 4.84 stars across 21,000+ guest reviews. 96% of our reviews are four stars or better. Better reviews attract better guests, at higher prices, maximizing your revenue.
Port Townsend market overview
Port Townsend sits at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, where Admiralty Inlet opens into Puget Sound, and travellers come for the town itself: a Victorian seaport whose downtown is a National Historic Landmark District, a working maritime waterfront, and the beaches, bluffs and old gun batteries of Fort Worden Historical State Park. It is also a base for the northern Olympic Peninsula, with Olympic National Park an easy drive west, and the ferry across Admiralty Inlet lands near Coupeville on Whidbey Island.
Summer carries the year. July and August run near 87% occupancy among top-performing homes, at the highest nightly rates of the year, and June opens the season strongly. September is the standout shoulder, still above 70% occupancy as the summer crowds thin. Winter is quiet but not empty: January and February sit just above 40% occupancy at the year's lowest rates, and demand rebuilds steadily through spring.
What homes earn in Port Townsend, WA
The chart reflects the top-performing short-term rentals in Port Townsend — homes listed on Airbnb and Vrbo with an average review score of at least 4.8, available or rented at least 300 days a year. It describes a summer market with a long tail: June through September produce nearly half of a year's revenue, so pricing those weeks well matters most, while the shoulder months reward a home that stays ready. Earnings vary with each home's size, setting and views. You can customize a projection for a specific home.
| Month | Total rent | Occupancy | Avg. daily rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $2,265 | 42% | $174 |
| Feb | $2,155 | 43% | $179 |
| Mar | $2,837 | 50% | $183 |
| Apr | $3,234 | 55% | $196 |
| May | $3,767 | 62% | $196 |
| Jun | $5,242 | 78% | $224 |
| Jul | $6,419 | 87% | $238 |
| Aug | $6,465 | 88% | $237 |
| Sep | $5,136 | 80% | $214 |
| Oct | $3,229 | 56% | $186 |
| Nov | $3,005 | 53% | $189 |
| Dec | $2,751 | 51% | $174 |
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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 Port Townsend, WA
Can my Port Townsend home be a short-term rental?
Outside the city limits, yes. Every home Fairly manages with a Port Townsend address sits in unincorporated Jefferson County, which permits short-term rentals through a county hospitality permit, subject to a cap. Inside the city limits the answer is different: the City of Port Townsend does not allow a house to be rented whole and short-term in its residential zones. Short-term lodging there is limited to tourist homes and bed-and-breakfast inns, which must be the owner's primary residence with the owner on site while guests stay, and which need a conditional use permit and an annual city business licence from Planning and Community Development.
The county permit and its cap
Jefferson County's Department of Community Development requires a permit for every short-term rental in the unincorporated county. A home with up to five guest rooms and ten occupants needs a Type I hospitality permit; anything larger needs a conditional use permit. Rentals of an entire home are capped at four percent of the unincorporated county's dwellings, distributed by zip code; the county updates the count each year, and once a zip code reaches its limit, new applicants join a waitlist served in order of application.
Several conditions apply to every permit. An operator may hold only one short-term rental permit in the unincorporated county, and may rent the main house or a guest house on the same lot, but not both. A new owner may not rent for fewer than thirty days during the first calendar year of ownership. The Fire Marshal inspects before the permit issues, the permit renews annually with an application at least thirty days before it expires, and the county permit number must appear on every listing.
Lodging taxes
Washington taxes stays of fewer than thirty consecutive nights through retail sales tax plus a special hotel/motel tax. Both the City of Port Townsend and unincorporated Jefferson County levy the hotel/motel tax, and the combined rate is currently 11.5% in either, per the Department of Revenue's quarterly lodging rate table. Both taxes go on a single Washington Department of Revenue excise return alongside a state business licence. State law also requires carbon monoxide alarms and a posted notice inside the home with its address, emergency numbers, a floor plan showing fire exits, the maximum occupancy and the operator's contact information.
How Fairly handles it
Fairly registers your home for the state and local lodging taxes, collects and remits them on every booking, and assists with the county hospitality permit, its inspection and each annual renewal.
Operating a vacation rental in Port Townsend, WA
Operating a Port Townsend rental means a short, full summer — back-to-back turnovers from late June through September — and a long, damp off-season in which salt air and winter storms work on decks, roofs and exterior wood. Where a home runs on a septic system, Jefferson County holds a rental to the system's permitted design capacity, so guest counts follow the septic permit rather than the bed count. The county permit also carries duties that continue after approval: a fire, safety and health inspection at every annual renewal, the permit number on every listing, and written notice to guests covering noise rules, burn bans, utility shutoffs, septic instructions and the name and number of a local contact. With Fairly, your caretaker is that local contact — they live nearby, handle turnovers in person, and take the call when a guest needs help.
Frequently asked questions
Fairly's management fee in Port Townsend is a flat 20% commission on rental revenue — no long-term contract, no hidden fees, and nothing charged until the home books. For that, we list it on Airbnb, Vrbo and Fairly.com, set its prices, answer its guests, and collect and remit the lodging taxes. Your caretaker is paid the full cleaning fee guests pay plus a share of the commission.
Outside the city limits, in unincorporated Jefferson County, yes — with a county hospitality permit. Entire-home rentals are capped at four percent of housing in each zip code, with a waitlist once the cap is reached. Inside the city, residential zones allow only owner-occupied tourist homes and bed-and-breakfast inns, not whole-home rentals. Fairly assists with the county application and every renewal.
Washington retail sales tax plus a special hotel/motel tax, which both the City of Port Townsend and unincorporated Jefferson County levy on stays of fewer than thirty nights — currently 11.5% combined, per the Department of Revenue's lodging rate table. Both are reported on one Washington Department of Revenue excise return. Fairly registers your home for these taxes and collects and remits them on every booking.
July and August, when top-performing homes run near 87% occupancy at the year's highest nightly rates. June and September are strong shoulders, with September still above 70% occupancy. January and February are the quietest months, just above 40% occupancy at the lowest rates, and demand builds steadily through spring.
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Fairly Vacation Rental Management
Serving Port Townsend, WA and neighboring areas
Available 24/7