I get this call almost every week. Someone wants to buy a condo in Miami, list it on Airbnb, and let the nightly rates cover the mortgage. It can absolutely work, and I have clients who run beautiful, profitable short term rentals here. It can also blow up in your face if you skip the homework, and I have seen that too.
The truth is that short term rental rules in Miami are a patchwork. What is allowed in one building on one street can be flatly banned in the building next door. The rules come from three layers at once: the condo association, the city or county, and the state. All three have to line up before your plan is legal. Here is exactly what I walk investors through before they write an offer, so you can pressure test the idea instead of falling for a glossy projection.
The building rules matter more than the address
Most condo buildings in Miami-Dade have rules about the minimum rental period, and this is the first thing I check. Some buildings allow true daily rentals. Many require a minimum lease of 30 days, 90 days, six months, or even a full year. A few cap how many times per year you can rent the unit at all, no matter the length.
Those rules live in the condo documents: the declaration, the bylaws, and the rules and regulations. I always request them during the inspection period and read the rental section line by line with my client. If the documents say the minimum lease is six months, no city permit on earth will let you run nightly stays there. The association trumps your business plan.
- Ask for the current rules in writing, not what a neighbor or the listing agent "thinks" is allowed.
- Check whether the HOA is actively trying to tighten rental rules, since owners vote on this and a strict new amendment can pass after you close.
- Confirm any cap on the number of rentals per unit per year, and whether there is a waitlist or approval process for tenants.
This is the same due diligence I preach for any purchase: verify in writing, during your contingency window, while you can still walk away. A short term rental plan that rests on an assumption is not a plan.
Miami Beach is the strictest
If you are looking on the barrier island, treat Miami Beach as its own country. The city heavily restricts short term rentals, and the fines for breaking the rules are famously steep, high enough to erase a year of rental income in a single citation. Large parts of the residential districts flat out prohibit rentals under six months and one day. There are limited zones where short stays are legal, but you need to verify the exact address, not the neighborhood, and not the vibe of the block.
Do not assume a listing is legal just because the current owner has it on Airbnb right now. Plenty of hosts operate on borrowed time until a complaint from a neighbor arrives, and then the citations start. When you buy that unit, you inherit the exposure. I would rather find you a building where the plan is clearly legal than watch you buy someone else's risk.
Unincorporated Miami-Dade and the other cities
Outside Miami Beach, the rules soften but they do not disappear. Unincorporated Miami-Dade County and cities like Miami, Doral, and Sunny Isles each have their own approach to registration, occupancy, and taxes. The specifics change, so treat this as a general map rather than a guarantee. In most cases you should expect to:
- Register the property and obtain a certificate or a business license before you host.
- Collect and remit resort and tourist taxes on the income.
- Follow occupancy limits, noise rules, and parking requirements tied to the property.
- Post the registration or license number directly on your public listing.
These requirements are updated periodically, so I tell clients to confirm the current process with the city or the county before closing, not after. A quick call to the right department while you are still under contract can save you a stack of fines and a scramble later.
Licensing, taxes, and the state layer
Florida also treats short term rentals as a business at the state level. Generally, if you rent for periods of six months or less, you typically need a state license and you owe state and local taxes on the rental income. That sits on top of anything the building or the city requires, so you can be fully compliant with your HOA and still owe the state. It is not hard to comply, but it is easy to forget, and back taxes plus penalties are never a fun surprise. When in doubt, a local accountant who handles short term rentals will set you up correctly from day one.
Run the real numbers
Even when short term rentals are clearly allowed, the math is tighter than most people expect, and this is where I slow my clients down. Condo HOA fees in Miami often run from $300 to well over $2,000 a month, and buildings with resort style amenities sit at the high end of that range. Then layer on the costs that Airbnb projections tend to gloss over:
- Florida's rising insurance costs, plus any short term rental rider your policy requires.
- Cleaning fees and turnover labor between every guest, which add up fast on nightly stays.
- Property management, if you are not local or not hands on, often a meaningful slice of revenue.
- The slow summer season, when occupancy and nightly rates both soften.
- Furnishing, restocking, and the wear and tear that short term guests put on a unit.
When I underwrite a deal with a client, I use conservative occupancy and honest expenses, not the best month of the year projected across all twelve. A property that looks like a winner on the price alone can quietly bleed cash once the full carrying cost is in the spreadsheet. I would rather show you a building where the rules clearly allow your plan and the numbers still work than watch you buy on a dream the HOA can vote away next year.
Common mistakes I watch investors make
After enough of these calls, the same avoidable mistakes come up again and again. If you can sidestep these, you are ahead of most first time short term rental buyers in Miami.
- Trusting the seller's current Airbnb listing as proof the use is legal. It often proves only that no one has complained yet.
- Skipping the condo documents because the unit is beautiful and the numbers look great on paper. The declaration outranks both.
- Projecting peak season occupancy across the whole year, then acting shocked when the summer months drag the average down.
- Forgetting the state licensing and tax layer entirely, because the building said yes and they assumed that was the finish line.
- Buying in a building where owners are actively voting on tighter rental rules, then getting boxed out by an amendment that passes right after closing.
None of these are hard to avoid. They just require slowing down and verifying each layer in writing before the money is committed.
Verify before you remove your contingency
The through line here is simple: do the verification before your inspection contingency expires, while you can still walk without losing your deposit. That window is your safety net, and short term rental buyers should use it for more than the physical inspection. Read the condo docs, call the city, confirm the state licensing path, and build the real numbers. If all four line up, a short term rental in Miami can be a genuinely strong investment with a lifestyle bonus attached.
If any one of them does not line up, better to know now than after closing, when your options shrink to hoping no one complains.
My advice before you buy
Verify the rental policy in writing before you remove your inspection contingency. Confirm the city and county registration steps in writing too. Then price the deal with honest, conservative expenses. If all three line up, you can move forward with real confidence instead of crossed fingers.
If you want a second set of eyes on a building's rules before you commit, send me a message. Reach out through the contact form at debilom.com, call me at (786) 278-7313, or DM @debilomrealtor, and I will read the fine print with you before you sign anything.
