Fort Lauderdale, FL short-term rental market report (2026)
Broward County, Florida. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesModerate (3/5)
- Average revenue$75K a year
- 4-BR typical value$720K
- Gross yield10.4%
- FEMA riskRelatively High
- Demand drivers within 50 mi8
Everything STR HUB holds on Fort Lauderdale, FL in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated.
Can you operate in Fort Lauderdale?
What the rating rests on: STR certificate required. Zoning restrictions in some areas. Beach proximity drives rates.
Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Fort Lauderdale has been increasingly aggressive in pursuing unpermitted vacation rentals since 2024.
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
Revenue
Gross market averages from STR HUB market analytics, the same figures shown on the market page. They are before cleaning, management, utilities, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
Home values in Broward County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Broward County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
Gross yield
Gross yield is before every operating cost and before financing. It is a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
8 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Fort Lauderdale. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Events
- Rolling Loud Miami
- When
- Mid-to-late July, 3 days (Hard Rock Stadium)
- Attendance
- 210,000 (Estimated 210,000 attendees (2019, per Wikipedia).)
- STR angle
- The largest hip-hop festival brand in the US, drawing a national audience to Miami Gardens/North Miami STRs during the height of summer.
- Source
- Wikipedia - Rolling Loud
- Ultra Music Festival
- When
- Late March, 3 days (Bayfront Park)
- Attendance
- 165,000 (165,000 attendees over 3 days (2026, per Wikipedia; March 27-29, 2026 edition).)
- STR angle
- A downtown-Miami-Beach-adjacent EDM festival that spikes STR demand in the same March window as a broader spring-break/international-tourism peak.
- Art Basel Miami Beach
- When
- Early December, about 4 days (Miami Beach Convention Center; anchors citywide "Miami Art Week")
- Attendance
- 81,000 (81,000 visitors, 269 exhibitors from 29 countries (2019, per Wikipedia).)
- STR angle
- Anchors a citywide "Miami Art Week" of satellite fairs that fills Miami Beach and mainland Miami STRs during a traditionally slower early-December week.
- Source
- Wikipedia - Art Basel
- Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
- When
- First Sunday of May (Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium)
- STR angle
- A May F1 weekend that drives a spike in Miami-area STR demand on the same weekend as the Kentucky Derby, adding a second national event to the same calendar week.
Attractions
- South Beach / Ocean Drive
- When
- December to April high season; event spikes for Art Basel, the boat show and spring break.
- STR angle
- An international beach-and-nightlife brand, but Miami Beach prohibits short-term rentals in most residential districts and enforces it. Legal supply is limited to specific zones and condo-hotel buildings, so verify the building and zoning before anything else.
- Source
- Wikipedia: South Beach
Parks and public lands
- Biscayne National Park
- When
- Year-round; peaks March, May, July (by recreation-visit volume, 2025).
- Attendance
- 486,567 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025)
- STR angle
- Minor standalone lodging driver — mostly day-use boating/snorkeling park absorbed into the broader Homestead/Keys gateway market.
Outdoor activities
- Wellington (Winter Equestrian Festival)
- When
- Thirteen-week Winter Equestrian Festival, January through March, plus polo season.
- STR angle
- Riders, owners and staff from around the world need three-to-four-month seasonal housing at premium rates. Furnished homes and condos close to the showgrounds rent for the whole season rather than by the night.
Landmarks
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
- When
- Year-round; winter high season (December–March) peaks.
- STR angle
- James Deering's bayfront villa is Miami's one Gilded Age estate and a heavy wedding and photo-shoot venue, adding cultural visitors to Coconut Grove's winter demand. Miami and Coral Gables restrict short-term rentals in most single-family zones, so condo buildings that allow them are the realistic route.
When they come
Year-round climate: at least nine months of the year have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. 12 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. Warmest month: August (average high 88°F). Coldest: January (average low 61°F).
- Jan75°61°Comfortable
- Feb78°66°Comfortable
- Mar80°67°ComfortableEvent
- Apr83°70°Comfortable
- May84°72°ComfortableEvent
- Jun86°75°Comfortable
- Jul88°77°ComfortableEvent
- Aug88°77°Comfortable
- Sep86°76°Comfortable
- Oct84°74°Comfortable
- Nov80°69°Comfortable
- Dec76°64°ComfortableEvent
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 75 | 78 | 80 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 80 | 76 |
| Average low (°F) | 61 | 66 | 67 | 70 | 72 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 76 | 74 | 69 | 64 |
| Precipitation (in) | 2.9 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 11.2 | 7.2 | 6.2 | 4.2 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 9.3 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 11.4 | 11.7 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 10.9 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 8.5 |
| Event month | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Event months within 50 miles
- March: Ultra Music Festival
- May: Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix
- July: Rolling Loud Miami
- December: Art Basel Miami Beach
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. Event months come from the demand drivers listed above. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Miami-Dade County, FL | 2,688,237 |
| Broward County, FL | 1,940,907 |
| Palm Beach County, FL | 1,494,805 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very High | 99.8 |
| River flooding | Very High | 99.4 |
| Coastal flooding | Very High | 97.0 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 97.0 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 96.3 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 40.9 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 34.2 |
| Winter weather | No Rating | 0.0 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Broward County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Fort Lauderdale pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Fort Lauderdale's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Florida, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Fort Lauderdale on the map
Open Fort Lauderdale on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Fort Lauderdale STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Fort Lauderdale?
STR HUB rates Fort Lauderdale's short-term rental rules 3/5 (Moderate) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does an Airbnb make in Fort Lauderdale?
The average short-term rental in Fort Lauderdale, FL grosses $75,000 a year, on a $295 average nightly rate and 70% occupancy. That ranks #18 of the 88 tracked markets with revenue data. It is a gross market average before cleaning, management, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Fort Lauderdale?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Broward County is valued at $719,981 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $423,492, with all-home values down 2.1% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What is the gross rental yield in Fort Lauderdale?
10.4%: average annual short-term rental revenue of $75,000 divided by the county's typical 4-bedroom home value of $719,981. It is before every operating cost and before financing, so treat it as a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What brings visitors to Fort Lauderdale?
8 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Fort Lauderdale, including Biscayne National Park (486,567 published attendance), Rolling Loud Miami (210,000 published attendance) and Ultra Music Festival (165,000 published attendance). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research.
- Revenue, nightly rate and occupancy: STR Agent HUB market analytics.
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Park visitation: National Park Service, NPS Visitor Use Statistics.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Broward County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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