Management

1. Registration Process

1.1 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. The following licenses must be obtained in the following order:
1.2 Department of Business and Professional Regulation – If the property is a homestead, owner-occupied, and renting a room only, you are exempt from providing this license. A notarized letter attesting to the renting of a room is required for exemption.

1.3 Department of Revenue – If the hosting platform collects and remits the required State of Florida sales tax on your behalf, please submit a notarized letter attesting to this fact including the name of the hosting platform.
1.4 Broward County Business Tax Receipt – Application can be completed online or in person at Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division, Governmental Center Room, 115 S. Andrews Ave. Room A 100, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.

1.5 Broward County Tourist Development Tax – If the hosting platform collects and remits the required Broward County Tourist Development Tax on your behalf, please submit a notarized letter attesting to this fact including the name of the hosting platform.

2. Proof of Property Ownership

2.1 Proof of property ownership from the Broward County Property Appraiser’s website. If the applicant is not the property owner, a notarized letter of authorization from the property owner(s) or managing member of the business is required.
2.2 If the property is owned by a business entity, please provide ownership information found on Sunbiz. If the corporation is an out of state/international entity, registration is required with the State of Florida Division of Corporations.

3. Lease Agreement

Provide a blank/sample copy of the lease agreement furnished to your guests. Ensure the required information found in the Vacation Rental Ordinance is a part of the agreement. Include a sketch or photograph of the off-street parking spaces with the following statement, “No on-street parking permitted”.

4. Vacation Rental Application

Complete the vacation rental application at LauderBuild. Instructions on how to access the application can be found here. Incomplete applications will be rejected. You will be notified of the missing requirements via email. You are required to resubmit the information and/or documents that were missing within ten (10) business days. Once the application is accepted, processing times are approximately five (5) business days.

5. Payment Process

5.1 Once the application is processed, the applicant receives an email with the vacation rental account number and invoice for registration payment.
5.2 The City of Fort Lauderdale Business Tax Account is generated and invoiced once the Vacation Rental Application is approved.

5.3 Upon payment of both the Vacation Rental Registration fee and the City of Fort Lauderdale Business Tax fee, the property is scheduled for inspection.

6. Inspection Process

6.1 Upon payment of fees, the code officer is notified that the property is ready for inspection.
6.2 Please review the Vacation Rental Inspection Checklist to prepare for inspection. There is a $75.00 inspection fee for each inspection after the initial inspection (safety inspection, reinspection, or no show inspection).
6.3 The code officer will contact the applicant via email or telephone within three (3) business days to schedule a date and time for inspection. To verify inspection date and time, please contact the vacation rental administrator at (954) 828-7110.
6.4 If the property fails inspection, a reinspection is conducted in ten (10) days. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the property is compliant before the reinspection.
6.5 A Certificate of Compliance is issued within three (3) business days after passing inspection.
6.6 Please note – Maximum Occupancy (2 persons per bedroom) is based upon the number of legal bedrooms inside the registering property and is verified by the inspector. The requirements for bedrooms are below. If you have questions, please contact your inspector.

If you have any questions, you can contact us for assistance at [email protected]