Airbnb & Short-Term Rental Loans in Florida
AAPL Member · Direct Lender Since 2016 · NMLS #1979189
Florida is one of the biggest short-term rental markets in the world — Orlando’s theme-park tourism, Miami and South Beach, the Gulf Coast beaches of Clearwater and Fort Myers, the Panhandle around Destin and Panama City, and the Florida Keys all generate enormous nightly demand. But financing a vacation rental trips up most investors, because the property usually has no long-term lease and conventional lenders don’t know how to underwrite nightly income. Airbnb loans in Florida from Tidal Loans solve that — we qualify your loan on the property’s projected short-term rental income, not your personal income. We’ve financed Florida short-term rental investors as a direct lender since 2016, and it’s one of our strongest STR markets.
How Florida Airbnb Financing Works — It's a DSCR Loan
An Airbnb loan is a [DSCR loan](/dscr-loan-florida/) built for short-term rentals. DSCR stands for Debt Service Coverage Ratio — we compare the property’s income to its debt payments, and if the income covers the mortgage, the deal qualifies. The difference with a short-term rental is the income side: instead of a long-term lease, we use the property’s projected short-term rental income, drawn from market data sources like AirDNA, to calculate the ratio. That matters enormously in Florida, where peak-season nightly rates in a tourist market can far exceed what a 12-month lease would bring — and we give you credit for that higher income.
Because it’s underwritten on the property, there’s no personal income verification — no tax returns, no W-2s, no debt-to-income ceiling. You can close in an LLC and get long-term financing on a short-term rental: 30-year fixed terms, with interest-only options available. Run your numbers with our [DSCR calculator](/dscr-loan-calculator/), and see the full program on our [Airbnb loan hub](/airbnb-loans/).
Florida Short-Term Rental Markets
We finance short-term rentals across the state’s powerhouse STR markets. Orlando is one of the largest vacation-rental markets in the country, driven by Disney, Universal, and year-round tourism. The Gulf Coast — Clearwater, St. Petersburg, the Cape Coral–Fort Myers corridor, and Naples — supports strong beach-rental demand. The Panhandle, around Destin and Panama City Beach, is a booming seasonal market, and Miami and South Florida draw year-round visitors and business travel. The Florida Keys round out one of the most rental-friendly markets in the country. We also finance STRs in Tampa, Jacksonville, and throughout the state.
A note on local rules: Florida short-term rental regulations vary widely by city and county — some areas have registration requirements, minimum-stay rules, or zoning restrictions. Part of our underwriting is confirming your property can legally operate as a short-term rental, so we’ll review the local rules and any required permit before funding.
Florida Airbnb Loan Terms
Loan Details
Recovering Your Capital: the BRRRR Path
A pure zero-down Airbnb purchase isn’t typically realistic, since we lend up to 80% LTV on a purchase and you’ll bring a down payment. But you can recoup that cash through the BRRRR strategy. If you buy and renovate a property with a [Florida hard money loan](/hard-money-lenders-florida/), then refinance the stabilized short-term rental into a DSCR loan with a [cash-out refinance](/cash-out-refinance/), you can pull your original capital back out and redeploy it into the next Florida vacation rental. For straightforward long-term holds, our [rental property loan program](/rental-loans/) covers the buy-and-hold side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. We finance Airbnb and VRBO properties using the property’s projected short-term rental income rather than your personal income, so you don’t need a long-term lease, tax returns, or W-2s. It’s a DSCR loan structured for short-term rentals — if the projected nightly income supports the mortgage, the deal can qualify, and you can close in an LLC with 30-year fixed financing.
We use projected short-term rental income from market data sources like AirDNA, which estimates daily booking rates and occupancy for the property’s specific Florida market. That projected income goes into the DSCR calculation against your proposed mortgage payment. This gives you credit for the high seasonal and nightly rates a strong Orlando or beach-front rental earns, instead of capping you at a long-term lease figure.
Yes. Florida regulates short-term rentals at the city and county level, and rules vary widely — some areas require registration, set minimum stays, or restrict STRs by zone. Part of our underwriting is confirming your property can legally operate as an Airbnb, and we’ll ask for any required permit. We also recommend knowing the property’s fallback long-term rent, so the deal still works if local rules change.
Short-term rental loans are credit-flexible but typically expect a stronger profile than a standard long-term DSCR loan, given the income variability. A higher score improves your rate and terms. Because the property’s projected income carries most of the underwriting, your credit matters less than it would at a bank, but it still factors into your pricing and leverage.
Usually not. SBA and conventional business loans are built for owner-operated businesses, not investment property, and tend to be slow and restrictive. A DSCR-based Airbnb loan is purpose-built for investors — faster, underwritten on the property’s income, and closed in your business entity. For an investment short-term rental, it’s almost always the better fit.
We lend statewide, with especially strong activity in Orlando, the Gulf Coast, the Panhandle, the Keys, and Miami–South Florida, plus Tampa and Jacksonville. Each market has its own demand patterns and local rules, and we structure the loan around the property’s projected income and confirm it can operate legally as a short-term rental in its specific city or county.
Ready to fund your Florida deal?
Get a fast quote from a direct lender — or call and walk it through with us.