Are you operating a legal Airbnb listing?

For our first blog post, we will cover the legal aspect of Airbnb and also provide you with useful links, so you too can be on your way to operating a successful short term vacation rental...legally.

Is Airbnb Legal? Yes and No. Find out the Facts.

Airbnb is legal in Florida.

Not just airbnb, but also all the other Short term rental companies like HomeAway, VRBO, and many others are also legal. It is up to the home owner to understand the laws in the city you reside or where your rental property is located. For a complete and more in depth step by step process of legally running a short term vacation rental, click on the link that airbnb has provided or read below; https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2371/state-of-florida

What do I need in order to legally operate a short term rental in the state of Florida?

First things first. You need to decide if you will be renting your entire unit (ex:Single family home) or just a room or two. This will determine if you need a business license. The state of Florida requires all short term rental companies to be licensed through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Vacation Rental is defined in Florida law as: “any unit or group of units in a condominium or cooperative or any individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit that is also a transient public lodging establishment but that is not a timeshare project.” Vacation Rental - Dwelling Application Vacation Rental - Condo Application

Hosted Rentals (short-term rentals while the host remains in the home) are not regulated by DBPR. Renting a single room or rooms other than the whole unit is not classified as a public lodging and would not require a license from DBPR. However, hosted rentals may still be subject to other city, county, or other local level requirements. To see if you need a business license to become a host and start generating revenue in the short term rental industry, click on the following link to see a complete licensing guide; http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/hotels-restaurants/licensing/licensing-guides/ Next, Most counties require that you have a Tourist Development Tax Number (TDT) and a Business Tax Receipt number (BTR) in order to start accepting guest reservations. For this you can go to your local Tax collector and fill out a registration form to apply for a TDT number which is needed before paying for a Business Tax Receipt number. Go to your County website for specific instructions on how to register for a TDT account number and BTR. Airbnb has a list of counties and their websites that can help you get started in the process of become a host; https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2301/occupancy-tax-collection-and-remittance-by-airbnb-in-florida Below are the links to South Florida's county websites for short term rentals. Palm Beach County: https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2580/palm-beach-county-fl Broward County: http://www.broward.org/RecordsTaxesTreasury/TaxesFees/Pages/TouristDevelopmentTaxes.aspx Miami-Dade County https://www8.miamidade.gov/global/service.page?Mduid_service=ser1499797928395868 Once you received a TDT account number and BTR, you can go to the airbnb website and submit those account numbers in order to publish your listing and start accepting guest reservations. I hope this has helped you in your quest to becoming an Airbnb host or a short term vacation rental expert. Please leave your comments or question that you may have below. Also, if it's not too much to ask, LIKE our Facebook Page #Airbnbtips #MPMblog #PublishYourAirnbnbListing