Fort Lauderdale makes registration a legal condition of renting and requires a responsible party who is on call around the clock.
The work divides three ways. Your local person does the visits and the checks on site. BnBGenius answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7 and creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout. You handle the city registration and the taxes.
The city sets two conditions for the responsible party. First, they must be reachable at any hour.
“Be available with authority to address and coordinate solutions to problems with the rental of the property twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week”
Second, they must be close enough to get there quickly.
“Be situated close enough to the property as to be able to respond in person within one (1) hour of being notified by a vacation rental occupant, law enforcement officer, emergency personnel, or the city of issues related to the vacation rental.”
What this means for you: the person you name must answer at any hour and be able to get to the unit in person within one hour. Pick someone who lives close to the property.
What BnBGenius Does for a Host in Fort Lauderdale
Answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7
Guests ask what the house rules are, and the city requires the responsible party to give every guest a written summary before arrival.
“Provide all guests prior to occupancy of the property with a written summary, printed in the English language, of applicable city ordinances concerning noise, vehicle parking, garbage, and common area usage.”
The city also sets a posted noise limit.
“A statement advising the occupant that any sound shall not be plainly audible for a period of one (1) minute or longer at a distance of twenty-five (25) feet or more when measured from the source property line between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. daily and at a distance of fifty (50) feet or more when measured from the source property line between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. daily;”
What this means for you: the responsible party must give every guest the written summary before they arrive. It covers city rules on noise, parking, garbage and shared areas, and it must be in English. Put the same details in your house rules and check-in instructions. The occupancy rule is quoted under “What the City Requires”. BnBGenius does not know local rules by itself and is not the city’s responsible party.
Requests a review from the guest and publishes the host’s review
Airbnb and Vrbo both run on reviews, but a good review never takes the place of clear house rules. Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on this:
“We went from reviewing 40% of stays to 100% overnight. The AI even thanked guests for things we fixed mid-stay. Our review-to-review rate jumped immediately.”
Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on bnbgenius.ai/reviews
Creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout
The city puts a duty on the responsible party at the end of every rental period.
“Conduct an on-site inspection of the vacation rental at the end of each rental period to ensure continued compliance with the requirements of this chapter.”
What this means for you: the responsible party must walk through the unit on site after each rental period. They check that the rental still meets the city’s rules. Agree turnover times with your local person so this check fits the schedule.
BnBGenius creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout, while your person on site does the physical work. Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on this:
“We used to find out about issues in post-stay reviews. Now BnBGenius flags them mid-stay, creates the task, and our cleaners respond in under 15 minutes.”
Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on bnbgenius.ai/tasks
Answers guest calls with a voice AI agent
BnBGenius answers guest calls with a voice AI agent (Voice Concierge, an add-on). The voice AI agent does not make BnBGenius the responsible party, and it cannot stand in for someone who can reach the property in person within one hour. Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on this:
“The concierge answered 84% of our after-hours calls last month without waking anyone up. Guests thought it was our in-house team the whole time.”
Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on bnbgenius.ai/voice
Sells gap nights, early check-in and late checkout
Any offer of extra nights or extra time has to fit inside the occupancy rule quoted later on this page. Work out early check-in and late checkout times with your local person in advance, so the cleaning schedule still works. Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on this:
“BnBGenius filled nine gap nights in the first month. $2.3k we would have lost. Guests got a friendly Airbnb message and we didn’t lift a finger.”
Kent Morgan, BnBGenius co-founder, on bnbgenius.ai/upsells
Is run from Telegram
BnBGenius is run from Telegram. Nothing shifts in the division of work: your local person keeps doing the visits and the checks on site, and registration and taxes stay with you.
Your Local Person
A cleaner or handyman can do the visits and can be the responsible party if you appoint them and they can meet the city’s conditions: available 24/7 and close enough to the property to be there in person within one hour.
Cleaning and repairs are yours to arrange — through your local person or a cleaning company you choose. BnBGenius creates cleaning and repair tasks after checkout. Keep the same house rules and check-in instructions on Airbnb and Vrbo.
BnBGenius is not the city’s responsible party; the responsible party is always the owner or the owner’s local person.
What the City Requires
Registration. Renting without registration is against the city code.
“It is unlawful for any person to allow another person to occupy any residential property that is a single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit as a vacation rental within the city, or offer such property for rent as a vacation rental within the city, unless the owner of the property in fee simple title or his or her authorized representative has registered the property as a vacation rental property with the city and the vacation rental property has been issued a certificate of compliance in accordance with the provisions of this article.”
Licenses first. The city wants state and county licenses before you apply.
“The City of Fort Lauderdale requires every vacation rental property to first be licensed with the State and County before submitting an application with the City.”
Source: City of Fort Lauderdale
What this means for you: register the property with the city and get the certificate of compliance before you rent it out. Get your State and County licenses first, then apply to the city.
Fee and renewal. The city publishes what registration costs.
“Registration (up to 4 units under one folio) – includes 1st inspection $880.00”
Source: City of Fort Lauderdale
Registration runs on an annual cycle.
“A vacation rental shall be registered annually on or before the thirtieth (30th) day of September.”
And the renewal has its own deadline.
“The application for renewal must be submitted no later than sixty (60) days prior to the September 30th expiration date.”
What this means for you: pay the fee as quoted and keep the dates as quoted. Set a reminder well before the renewal date so you never miss it.
Occupancy. The city caps overnight guests by sleeping room.
“The maximum number of transient occupants authorized to stay overnight at any vacation rental shall be limited to two (2) persons per sleeping room.”
What this means for you: the cap is counted per sleeping room. For a 3-bedroom home with three sleeping rooms: 3 x 2 = 6 overnight guests at most. Put this number in your listing and house rules.
Parking. Rental guests’ vehicles must stay on the property.
“That all vehicles associated with the vacation rental must be parked within a driveway located on the subject property and in compliance with this Code.”
What this means for you: guests’ vehicles go in the driveway on the property and nowhere else. Spell this out in your house rules and check-in instructions.
Noise. The city requires a noise level detection device in the unit.
“The vacation rental shall be equipped with a noise level detection device alerting the property owner/responsible party and transient occupants to noise emanating from the vacation rental, and all data produced by this device will be retained for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days and made available to the city upon request.”
What this means for you: install the device, keep its data for the period the quote states, and hand it over if the city asks. The device alerts you, your responsible party and your guests to noise.
Postings in the unit. The city requires a set of postings inside the rental.
“The vacation rental lessee shall be provided with a summary of the information required in subsection 15-278 with instructions on how to access the full text and shall post the following conspicuously within the establishment:”
What this means for you: the list that follows in the code is long, so read it there in full and post everything it requires inside the unit. Do not guess at the items.
Advertising. Your listings must match your certificate.
“Any advertising of the vacation rental unit shall conform to information included in the vacation rental certificate of compliance and the property’s approval, particularly as this pertains to maximum occupancy.”
And the certificate number must appear in the ads.
“the certificate of compliance number shall be included in all advertising.”
What this means for you: your Airbnb and Vrbo listings must match the certificate. The guest count matters most. Both listings must also show the certificate number. Check each one against the certificate.
Inspections and penalties. The city re-inspects registered rentals.
“Once issued, a vacation rental unit must be properly maintained in accordance with the vacation rental standards herein and will be re-inspected annually.”
And violations carry a civil penalty.
“The amount of the civil penalty for each uncontested violation shall be two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) for the first offense, and for each contested violation the penalty shall be three hundred twenty-five dollars ($325.00).”
What this means for you: the city inspects your rental every year, so keep it up to standard. A first uncontested violation costs one amount. A contested one costs more.
Taxes
Florida taxes transient rentals at the state level.
“Florida’s 6% state sales tax, plus any applicable discretionary sales surtax, applies to rental charges or room rates paid for the right to use or occupy living quarters or sleeping or housekeeping accommodations for rental periods of six months or less, often called ‘transient accommodations’ or ‘transient rentals.’”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
The Department of Revenue also publishes the Broward County tourist development tax rate.
“Broward 6.0% County”
Source: Florida Department of Revenue
| Platform | What the platform lists | What the owner checks |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | “Florida Transient Rental Tax: 6% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Florida Discretionary Sales Surtax: 0.5%-1.5% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter.” (Source: Airbnb Help) “Broward County Tourist Development Tax: 6% of the listing price including any cleaning fee for reservations 182 nights and shorter in Broward County.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “Hosts may need to manually collect and remit other applicable taxes on their stay or experience price.” (Source: Airbnb Help) |
| Vrbo | “Broward County — County Tourist Development Tax — Broward County under 184 nights — December 1, 2017” (Source: Vrbo Help) | “You’re also responsible for collecting and remitting lodging taxes when we’re not liable to do so.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
What this means for you: check what each platform lists for your stays and what remains on you, and confirm the numbers against the Department of Revenue. Do not assume either platform covers everything.
BnBGenius is not an accounting tool.
Airbnb and Vrbo
| Guest work | Airbnb | Vrbo |
|---|---|---|
| Messages | “Every reservation automatically creates a group thread where all bookers, co-travelers, hosts and co-hosts can connect.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “You can send a message to a host through our secure messaging platform.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
| Reviews | “After a guest checks out, both the guest and their host will be prompted to leave a review. Both parties will have 14 days after checkout to submit their review.” (Source: Airbnb Help) | “You and your guests have 180 days to provide your review. Once one party submits their review, the other party has 14 days to complete their review.” (Source: Vrbo Help) |
| Taxes | Airbnb lists the Florida transient rental tax, the Florida discretionary sales surtax and the Broward County Tourist Development Tax for stays of 182 nights and shorter. | Vrbo lists the Broward County tourist development tax for stays under 184 nights (see Taxes). |
What this means for you: each platform handles messages and reviews in its own way, so read the quotes for the platform you use. If you list on both, set up both.
When guests ask about the noise limit, how many people can stay, where to park or how to reach your responsible party, the answers come from your house rules and check-in instructions. BnBGenius answers guest messages on Airbnb and Vrbo 24/7 and requests a review from the guest and publishes the host’s review. Taxes are something you verify on your own.
How to Start
There are two ways to go.
BnBGenius is not a PMS, a channel manager, a calendar sync, a direct-booking, pricing or accounting tool.
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- Florida short-term rental laws by city
Rules and rates last checked on 2 October 2026.
