What owners of Treasure Coast vacation rentals and seasonal homes should know: the state's transient lodging threshold, both counties' tourist development taxes, and how to plan turnovers and season-end cleans.
Seasonal living is built into the Treasure Coast. Census estimates count about 10,250 Martin County homes, roughly 12 percent of all units, as held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, and on Jupiter Island the share is about 36 percent. Many of those homes are rented to visitors for part of the year.
This guide covers the rules that apply when you rent a home or condo for short stays here, and how the cleaning side of a rental differs from cleaning a home you live in.
Florida's lodging regulator, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants within the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, treats a unit as transient public lodging when it is rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for stays of less than 30 days. Owners whose rentals cross that line should check the state's licensing requirements.
Both counties also tax short stays. The Martin County Tax Collector charges a 5 percent Tourist Development Tax on rentals or transient lodging of six months or less. St. Lucie County charges the same 5 percent rate on rentals of six months or less, including houses and condos, and says owners must register even when they rent through Airbnb or VRBO.
Inside the City of Stuart, any business, including a home based one, also needs a city Business Tax Receipt and a Martin County receipt. Ask a tax professional or the city which of these apply to your rental.
The seasonal share varies a lot by town. In the City of Stuart about 1,650 units, close to 16 percent, are held for seasonal or occasional use, many of them condos in buildings of 10 or more units. In Hobe Sound about 1,000 units, roughly 13 percent, are seasonal. On Jupiter Island, where about 92 percent of homes are single family houses and more than half have four or more bedrooms, about 36 percent of homes are seasonal.
That means a Stuart rental is often a two bedroom condo with a quick turnover, while a Jupiter Island rental is a large house where a turnover is a much bigger job.
A turnover is a reset to the same standard every time, so the next guest walks into a home that matches the listing photos. In Treasure Coast rentals, sand and humidity drive most of the checklist.
Many Treasure Coast owners rent through the drier months and close the home over the summer. The wet months from June through October each normally bring more than 6 inches of rain to Stuart, with summer lows near 76 degrees, and a closed home with the air conditioning set high can collect mildew on closet walls and soft goods.
A One-Time Deep Clean at the end of the rental season clears the accumulated wear, and another before the first guests return deals with the dust and humidity film of the closed months. The Florida Department of Health recommends keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent to help prevent mold, so leave the cooling set to manage moisture, not just temperature.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, which overlaps with the months many rentals sit empty. Bring lanai furniture inside, clear the refrigerator before a long absence and make sure someone local can check the home after a storm. The storm season guide covers the full checklist.
If a storm does let water in, that is a restoration job. The Florida Department of Health says mold larger than about 10 square feet, or growth tied to water damage, calls for an experienced professional.
When TotalCare Cleaning comes to Stuart, owners will be able to book a One-Time Deep Clean for the start or end of a season, and a Moving Clean when a home changes hands. Rentals with a steady stream of guests can also be kept on a recurring schedule. See the Stuart house cleaning cost page for prices by home size.
The questions Stuart homeowners ask most often about this topic, answered plainly.
TotalCare Cleaning will service Stuart and surrounding areas with background-checked cleaners and is insured up to $1 million. Re-clean guarantee: if we missed something, tell us by the end of the next day and we come back to fix it. Beyond Clean. TotalCare.
