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For Investors
A vacation rental can out-earn a long-term lease, or it can run headfirst into a local ban. Pure Equity Realty helps South Florida investors buy short-term rental properties where the rules, the numbers, and the demand actually line up.
Run the Numbers →Rules First
Local ordinances vary block by block
Licensing
State DBPR license plus local registration
Underwrite
Model occupancy, fees, and taxes before you buy
Short-Term Rentals in South Florida
Short-term rentals can produce strong returns in a place people fly to all year, but they are the most rules-driven real estate investment there is. Whether you can legally rent a property by the night, week, or month depends on the exact city, the zoning, and the condo or HOA, and those rules differ dramatically across South Florida. The number one way investors lose money here is buying first and reading the ordinances later.
Pure Equity Realty helps investors buy short-term rental properties the right way: rules first, numbers second, emotion last. We check the local ordinances and association restrictions before you make an offer, help you underwrite realistic occupancy and expenses, and point you toward the pockets where nightly and weekly rentals are both allowed and in demand. If a property cannot legally do what your plan requires, you will know before you sign, not after.
In Florida, cities and counties set their own short-term rental rules, and they range from welcoming to effectively banned. Some places cap the number of rentals per year, require minimum stays, limit occupancy, or restrict rentals to certain zoning districts. A property that is a goldmine in one city is illegal to rent nightly one town over. We research the specific rules for any property you are considering, because this is the factor that makes or breaks a short-term rental investment.
Florida generally requires a vacation rental license through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation for properties rented on a short-term basis, and many localities add their own registration on top. You will also collect and remit sales tax and county tourist development tax on stays, the so-called bed tax. These are not optional, and non-compliance carries penalties. We flag the licensing and tax obligations up front so they are part of your plan and your pro forma, not a surprise.
Even where a city allows short-term rentals, the condo or homeowners association can forbid them or impose minimum lease terms, and association rules override your plans. Many South Florida buildings require a minimum lease of several months or a full year, which kills a nightly-rental strategy. Before you buy into a community, we read the governing documents and rental rules so you are not stuck with a property you cannot use the way you intended.
Short-term rentals carry higher revenue but also higher and lumpier costs: furnishing, cleaning and turnovers, higher insurance, management or software, utilities, and seasonal swings in occupancy. A property that looks great on peak-season rates can disappoint once you average the slow months and subtract real expenses. We help you underwrite conservatively, using realistic occupancy and full costs, and our rental ROI calculator lets you compare a short-term strategy against a standard lease before you commit.
Related Resources
Investing in STR?
Tell us your budget and strategy and we will find properties where the local rules and the numbers both work.
Questions
It depends entirely on the specific city, the zoning, and the condo or HOA. Rules range from fully permitted to effectively banned, and they can differ from one town, or even one building, to the next. Some places set minimum stays, occupancy limits, or annual caps. We research the exact rules for any property before you make an offer, because legality is the single biggest factor in whether a short-term rental will work.
Short-term rentals in Florida generally require a vacation rental license through the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and many cities and counties require their own registration as well. You also have to collect and remit state sales tax and county tourist development tax on stays. These obligations are enforced, so we make sure they are built into your plan and your projected returns from the start.
Yes. Even where a city permits short-term rentals, a condo or homeowners association can prohibit them or require minimum lease terms, and those rules override your intentions. Many South Florida communities require leases of several months or a year, which rules out nightly rentals. We read the association's governing documents before you buy so you never end up with a property you cannot use as planned.
They can, but not always, and the gross numbers are misleading. Short-term rentals bring higher revenue but also much higher costs: furnishing, frequent cleaning, higher insurance, management, utilities, and seasonal vacancy. After all of that, the net can be lower than a simple annual lease in some markets. We underwrite both strategies with realistic occupancy and full expenses so you compare the true bottom line, not the headline rate.
The best markets are the ones where local ordinances allow nightly or weekly rentals and tourist demand is strong, often certain coastal areas and specific buildings that permit them. Because the rules are so local, viability comes down to the individual property, not a broad zip code. We steer you toward the pockets where the law and the demand align, and away from the ones that look good until you read the code.