How to legalize your Airbnb Property (Miami, FL)

[Sebastian Giraldo]

Do you remember in the beginning stages of Airbnb where it was so unusual and it was completely unregulated? When very few knew the details and profits you could make from it and when local governments weren’t involved? Those were marvellous times where freedom existed in our space. Fast forward, today government bodies in numerous cities have rolled out ordinances in order to adapt and embrace short term rentals with vacation rental license permits. The intent behind this article is to help untangle the legal web so you can legalize your Short Term Rental without a mark. We manage short term rentals in South Florida, therefore I will use our local for context.

Be warned! Before jumping the gun and making any payments to any gov body make sure to verify that your condominium association, local and state government allow short term rentals, otherwise you may have completed the process to no avail.

How to legalize your Airbnb property?

It is as simple as four layers that function in order of importance:

1. State Level

Florida legislature allows short term rentals through a vacation rental license. Begin by filling out the form through your state licensing website. In this case, Florida is through the DBPR, an online process that requires submitting a form and payment of fees. Every city and/or county will ask you for the vacation rental license from the State.

1. County Level

Take into consideration that the county manages all unincorporated areas. Meaning that if an area is incorporated it is then referred to as a city with its own local gov officials. Miami-Dade county allows short term rentals through an online form submission very similar to the State level in which you must pay a fee that ranges anywhere from $100-300. Ultimately depending on the size of the home.

1. City Level

Incorporated areas in your town are cities. This is where the tricky process starts. More often than not, cities have a much longer and complicated process that may require inspection and strict requirements.

The Florida Keys, for example, requires mailing a letter to communicate the intent of the property to all the homeowners within 300 ft distance of the property being listed for short term rental purposes.

Other cities such as Hollywood, FL are long and tedious but not impossible. This is why I recommend you visit the city website to review their requisites and file accordingly.

1. Condominium/Homeowners Association Level

Lastly and most importantly is the association which is one that can make or break you. Certain buildings and associations will allow you to perform short term rentals.

Since the association is one that can penalize and limit your owner privileges. We recommend you call and ask them the following question:

“Are there any rental restrictions in this community?”

If in any case, you’d like to double-check the fine print then you can refer to the association governing docs and bylaws.

Follow the process and you will succeed!
In essence, these are the four layers that your local and state governments typically follow

A culture of zero attachments

Nowadays no one wants to own a car, people don’t own their phone, it is an inevitable pattern. Society is transitioning into a culture of zero attachments, anchors, it may even be the flexibility of payments.

Short Term Rentals are new, different, and perhaps mysterious in its future. We know this may be the future of hospitality and travel. Eventually, the traveling nomad lifestyle will be prevalent. This is exciting, it is new, different, and immensely rewarding when you do it correctly.

Did you know STR should be legalized?
Have you legalized your property to turn it into a STR outside Miami?
What is stopping you from turning your 2nd home into a STR?

We would love to know your story!