LEGALITIES with STR in Orlando

[Wilfredo Torres]

Hi all, 

Closing on my 1st STR this week. Minor cosmetic rehab. In the meantime I'm looking for resources or anyone who has directly navigated the registration and licensing process that comes with running a legal STR in Orlando.

[David Ramirez]

I would contact the zoning department and ask for the requirements to obtain an STR permit.

[Tyler Gibson]

Quote from @Wilfredo Torres:

Hi all, 

Closing on my 1st STR this week. Minor cosmetic rehab. In the meantime I'm looking for resources or anyone who has directly navigated the registration and licensing process that comes with running a legal STR in Orlando.

 Is your property in Orange county Florida or is it in Osceola Lake Polk or Seminole county? If your property is in the city of Orlando you can do str legally so long as you register with the city and you live in it full-time and you're not renting more than half of the total bedrooms. If you're an Osceola county or any of the other counties I previously mentioned you can rent out the whole home. Orange county does not allow whole home short-term rental. The only exception to this rule is if it is a condo hotel. 

[Colin Higgins]

Orlando is really crackin down :-(

[Paul Pratt]

Yeah Orlando is cracking down. Highly suggest looking for areas just outside main metros. For example Daytona Beach has set areas for STRs, but a few surrounding towns have none at all. 

[Solomon Price]

What county are you in? A lot of people say Orlando, but are really talking about one of the surrounding areas.

[Alice Horn]

Just to clear any confusion, a lot of folks refer to "Orlando" when they actually mean "the Disney area vacation rental market." Vacation rentals supporting Disney travel are typically in Osceola and Polk counties. Orlando proper is Orange County, where the restrictions are much tougher.

In Osceola and Polk, you will find a wide range of purpose-built vacation rental communities with resort amenities. In these communities, you don't have to worry about restrictions. Happy to send our map of recommended communities!

[Carson McGee]

Contacting the county zoning should be the first step. Are you referring to Orlando or STR-friendly suburbs such as Kissimmee & Davenport? The regulations are going to change drastically based on that. My team owns and manages in the STR-designated communities, the regulations are pretty straightforward. I'm happy to provide more info or additional resources.

[Mike D'Arrigo]

@Wilfredo Torres with all due respect, it's kind of late to be looking in to this. The time to do that is before going under contract. I just did a quick search on Orlando's short term rental ordinance and if I'm interpreting it correctly, you might have some problems. It looks to me like it is not allowed in any residential R zoning district which is pretty restrictive. Some local governments have pretty Draconian restictions on STR's so it's best to do your research first. Hope it all works oout.

[Dom Radcliffe]

Quote from @Wilfredo Torres:

Hi all, 

Closing on my 1st STR this week. Minor cosmetic rehab. In the meantime I'm looking for resources or anyone who has directly navigated the registration and licensing process that comes with running a legal STR in Orlando.

 Send me a DM, I will walk you through it.