Short-term rentals on a vacation home aren't permitted in every area of Florida. Make sure the area you want to rent a vacation home in is zoned for short-term rentals. Osceola, Polk and Lake counties, near Orlando, are all zoned for short-term rental.
Some larger rental companies now require that the lead guest provide their home address, contact information, amount paid to the property owner and a copy of the lead guest's ID, as well as the full names of each additional member of the party.
Not all rentals require this level of information, but Florida law does require a register signed by the guest, listing how many guests are in the unit, the dates they stayed there and the amount charged for occupancy.
By law, management may establish any "reasonable rules and regulations" for guests, as laid out in the rental agreement. In any public lodging, the rules must be displayed prominently in English.
Florida law also dictates that rental properties have second lock on the final exit door that is accessible only to the management. In the case of a dispute over payment, this allows them to lock out guests who break the rental agreement. They may exercise this right only to force guests to confront them and arrange for payment.
However, if management does evict guests, they are required to formally inform the guests of eviction, orally or in writing.
