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What You Need to Know About Reopening Your Florida Vacation Rental

By Tom Butler, Florida Realtors
Here's a look at the COVID-19 safety measures vacation rental owners will need to follow and information on how counties can request to reopen.

Pursuant to the Governor Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 20-123, all counties may seek approval to operate vacation rentals with a written request from the County Administrator and the county’s safety plan for vacation rental operation submitted to the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

The county administrator should submit his/her written request and the county’s safety plan to DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears electronically at: halsey.beshears@myfloridalicense.com. Counties that have their plans approved will be listed here.

To help assist Florida counties with the development of their vacation rental reopen plans, DBPR has offered the following guidelines:

Recommended safety measures

Effective May 18, 2020, the following measures are recommended as minimum standards for vacation rentals that are accepting reservations and guests for any length of stay:

  • Maintain adequate time between the conclusion of a guest stay and the check-in of the next guest stay for appropriate cleaning and sanitation.
  • Clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces in the property between each guest stay.
  • Wash all linens, dishware and other service items available for use by guests between each guest rental.
  • Provide sufficient soap and surface sanitation supplies for guests to utilize in the vacation rental property during the guest’s rental period.
  • Ensure adequate safety protocols are in place and publicly displayed, in line with guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), regarding shared or multi-residence amenities such as pools, gyms and other communal spaces.

Other best practices

Effective May 18, 2020, the following best practices are also recommended for vacation rentals that are accepting reservations and guests for any length of stay:

  • Use mobile platforms for customer service and communication with guests, including the acceptance of payments by mobile or electronic methods.
  • Minimize direct guest contact with property owners or managers through remote check-in and check-out procedures.
  • Post signage or other notices regarding the cleaning practices that are completed prior to each stay.
  • Display signage or notices to guests in the rental property to frequently remind guests to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including the wiping and sanitation of touched surfaces.

Here are additional resources for property managers as they begin to re-open vacation rental properties:

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