In the City of Lighthouse Point, a short term rental (STR) is a guest stay in a resedential unit or group of units for six months or less. A residential unit can be in a condominium or cooperative, individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family houses. The following is a complete guideline for Lighthouse Point’s short term rental regulations so that anyone can be a responsible host when using platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. This rundown should give you a good start in understanding your local laws.
Short Term Rental Certificate of Compliance
Property owners must obtain an annual Transient Rental Certificate of Compliance for each dwelling unit to enable them to operate it as a short term rental. This Certificate for Transient Rentals is non-transferable by all means. When there is a transfer of ownership, the new owner must get a new Transient Rental Certificate for the short term rental.
A Certificate of Compliance is only valid for one year. Also, regardless of the date of issue, the certificates expire on September 30th of the following year.
Certificate of Compliance Application
The City of Lighthouse Point has collaborated with Host Compliance to process all Short Term Rental Applications beginning July 19th, 2021. All STR applications include renewals and modifications. Host Compliance will receive all applications and renewals directly.
Property owners or agents will require the following items to submit their application:
(I – Initial Application, R – Renewal, M – Modification)
- Short Term Rental Application filled out and signed (I, R, M)
- Payment via Credit Card (I, R, M)
- Proof of Ownership (i.e., Recorded Deed of BCPA Page) (I, R, M)
- Proof of sales tax registration with the Florida Department of Revenue. Or proof that no sales tax is required for the unit (I, R, M)
- Proof of registration for the Tourist Development Tax with Broward County. (I, R, M)
- Proof of Transient Public Lodging Establishment Licensure with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (I, R, M)
- A copy of the Transient Rental Agreement form (I, R, M)
- Sketch of the Exterior (Drawn to scale: all structures, fencing, pools, trash containers, and off-street parking spaces) (I, M)
- Sketch of the Interior (Drawn to scale: floor plan, bedrooms/sleeping rooms (numbered), smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, exits, and fire extinguishers) (I, M)
- Certificate of Fire Extinguisher Inspection (I, R, M)
- Hard-wired smoke/carbon monoxide detector, approved by the Building Department, coupled with an Inspection Certificate (I, R, M)
Owner Inspection Checklist Requirements
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Smoke Detector Requirements:
Property owners must install smoke detectors in the following areas:
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- In all of the bedrooms/sleeping rooms.
- In the immediate proximity of the bedrooms, outside each separate sleeping area.
- On each additional story of the residence. Must have permission from the Building Department. In addition, property owners or agents must have an Inspection Certificate too.
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Carbon Monoxide Detector Requirements:
Property owners must install carbon monoxide detectors in the following areas:
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- In the immediate proximity of the bedrooms, outside each separate sleeping area.
- On each additional story of the residence. Must have permission from the Building Department. In addition, property owners or agents must have an Inspection Certificate too.
For more information on the smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector requirements, property owners or agents can also contact the City Clerk’s Office at (954) 943-6500.
Moreover, to view the complete Owner Checklist for Transient Rental Inspections, Click Here.
Occupancy Limits
A short term rental unit’s maximum occupancy must not exceed either of the following limits:
- One person per 150 gross square feet of air-conditioned living space.
- There should be no more than two individuals per bedroom. The Florida Building code explicitly defines a bedroom as accommodating two people.
- The maximum occupancy per short term rental shall be limited to eight transient occupants in the RS-3 and RS-5 zoning districts.
- In all other zoning districts and developments primarily developed with more than two-family dwelling units, the maximum occupancy shall be limited to sixteen occupants per short term rental.
Other Short Term Rental Regulations
As a responsible host, you must comprehend and abide by other vacation rental rules and regulations that bind you. These include leases, community rules, HOA rules, or other guidelines. Feel free to reach out to your landlord, housing authority, or community council to find out more. To get more information about other regulations, you can also visit Lighthouse Point’s official website or contact us.
For Airbnb Management Lighthouse Point, follow the link.