Mount Dora, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
Mount Dora, FL short-term rentals averaged $256/night at 65.5% occupancy in April 2026, with average monthly revenue of $4,444 per listing.
Quick Answer: Mount Dora, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 65%. average monthly revenue is $4,444. average daily rate is $256. the top operator is Master Vacation Homes with 1,887 listings. market score is 96/100 (grade A).
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Mount Dora is a small lakeside city of approximately 17,278 residents in Lake County, roughly 30 miles northwest of Orlando. Its historic downtown, more than 30 annual festivals, and position along the Harris Chain of Lakes drive consistent short-term rental demand from Central Florida drive-market visitors and regional travelers.
In April 2026, the market posted an average daily rate of $256, occupancy of 65.5%, and RevPAR of $168. Average monthly revenue per listing was $4,444, up 9.9% year over year. ADR grew 2.2% year over year and occupancy ticked up 1.9 percentage points, together producing the strongest year-over-year revenue gain recorded in the trailing five-year dataset.
Entire-place listings dominate the market, representing approximately 93.6% of the listing mix. Private rooms account for 6.3% and shared rooms under 0.2%. Among entire-place offerings, larger properties are prominent: 5-bedroom-plus properties represent the single largest bedroom tier at 34.4% of the listing mix, followed by 3-bedroom (19.3%), 4-bedroom (18.8%), 1-bedroom (16.2%), and 2-bedroom (11.4%). This skew toward larger properties reflects Mount Dora’s appeal to group travel parties visiting for festivals and lakefront access.
Airbnb is the dominant distribution channel, accounting for the largest single-platform share; a meaningful portion of operators cross-list on both Airbnb and VRBO. The market earns a composite score of 95.65 out of 100 from Apivex’s market scoring model, with particularly strong ratings for revenue growth (93.3) and investability (87.1). The seasonality score of 85.5 reflects moderate but manageable demand swings through the year.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55% | $210 | $3,076 |
| Feb | 70% | $219 | $3,689 |
| Mar | 71% | $244 | $4,498 |
| Apr | 60% | $232 | $3,554 |
| May | 54% | $206 | $2,942 |
| Jun | 65% | $241 | $3,887 |
| Jul | 66% | $238 | $4,128 |
| Aug | 56% | $216 | $3,322 |
| Sep | 46% | $190 | $2,404 |
| Oct | 56% | $198 | $2,846 |
| Nov | 55% | $214 | $2,961 |
| Dec | 56% | $230 | $3,274 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Mount Dora
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Master Vacation Homes | 1,887 | 73,406 | ★ 4.75 |
| 2 | Top Villas | 1,310 | 6,401 | ★ 3.81 |
| 3 | Ohana Vacation | 802 | 3,631 | ★ 4.26 |
| 4 | Vacasa | 762 | 13,367 | ★ 4.38 |
| 5 | RedAwning | 641 | 4,500 | ★ 4.13 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Mount Dora?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 10,061 |
| 2 bed | 7,078 |
| 3 bed | 11,983 |
| 4 bed | 11,675 |
| 5 bed | 21,369 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $265 |
| Luxury | $464 |
| Professionally Managed | $303 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $3,697 |
| Entire Place | $4,610 |
| House | $4,916 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 36% |
| vrbo | 12.6% |
| both | 51.4% |
Investment Analysis
At a typical home value of $392,714 (Zillow, April 2026), Mount Dora presents a relatively accessible entry price for a Florida STR market. Using April 2026’s average monthly revenue of $4,444, an investor projecting similar performance across 12 months would generate approximately $53,327 in annual gross revenue, implying a gross revenue yield of roughly 13.6% on the typical home value. That figure does not account for operating expenses, vacancy, or financing costs, but it establishes the top-line potential.
Tier-level ADR data shows meaningful upside for higher-end properties. Entire-home listings averaged $265/night in April 2026. Luxury-tier listings averaged $464/night, and professionally managed properties averaged $303/night. The spread between the all-listings average ($256) and the professionally managed tier ($303) suggests that professional management adds approximately $47/night in realized rate, a gap that can offset management fees for properties well-suited to that tier.
Revenue trends support the market’s trajectory. After a dip in 2023 (average annual revenue $3,695 per listing) and a partial recovery in 2024 ($3,822), the 2025 full-year average reached $3,955 and the 2026 partial-year average through April stands at $4,391 per month. Year-over-year revenue growth of 9.9% in the most recent period is the strongest reading in the dataset. The housing market shows 302 active listings for sale and a median days-to-pending of 31, indicating moderate but not overheated inventory conditions.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Mount Dora guests book an average of 59 days in advance, and stays average 4.9 nights. Together these numbers shape pricing and calendar management strategy in concrete ways.
A 59-day lead time means most bookings arrive roughly two months before check-in. For a March peak period, that means meaningful booking volume begins arriving in January. Operators who drop rates in January hoping to fill the calendar early are likely leaving revenue on the table; the data supports holding rates through at least the 8-week window before peak dates.
The 4.9-night average length of stay is longer than the typical weekend trip. This reflects Mount Dora’s appeal to guests who combine the city’s festivals with nearby Orlando-area activities over extended stays. Longer stays reduce per-booking turnover costs (cleaning, restocking) and tend to correlate with guests who are more selective in their search, which puts more weight on listing photography, amenities descriptions, and accurate availability windows.
For calendar strategy, blocking a minimum of 4 nights during peak festival weekends captures the natural stay length without forcing guests into awkward partial-week gaps.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Mount Dora requires two distinct permits for short-term rental operators.
First, a City Rental License under Ordinance 2017-05 is required from the Building Division at City Hall, 308 E 5th Ave. The city-side fees total $155 at initial filing: a $30 application fee, $50 inspection fee for structures over five years old, and $75 zoning review fee. The license renews on a biennial basis; operators who miss renewal must reapply and pay full fees again. Contact the Planning and Development Department at (352) 735-7100 to confirm zone eligibility before purchasing, as the city restricts STRs by zoning district.
Second, Florida state law requires operators who rent an entire unit more than three times per year for periods under 30 days to hold a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling license. That license is issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, with fees ranging from approximately $170 to $350 annually depending on district and unit count.
Neither owner-occupancy nor primary-residence requirements apply at the city level. The enforcement severity rating for this market is moderate.
On the tax side, operators must collect and remit a combined 10% on gross rental receipts for stays of six months or less: 6% Florida state sales tax plus 4% Lake County Tourist Development Tax. Platforms such as Airbnb collect and remit both taxes automatically in Florida, but operators using direct booking channels must handle remittance themselves.
A key regulatory development: Florida’s SB 280 (2024), which would have shifted STR oversight to the state DBPR and further limited local authority, was vetoed by Governor DeSantis in June 2024. The current dual local-plus-state framework remains in effect through at least 2026.
Market Comparison
Against national benchmarks, Mount Dora outperforms on occupancy but runs below the national ADR median. The US STR market median occupancy sits around 55%; Mount Dora’s April 2026 reading of 65.5% exceeds that by 10.5 percentage points. The national median ADR is approximately $220; Mount Dora’s $256 sits about 16% above that figure. RevPAR of $168 compares favorably to most non-resort secondary markets.
The market’s Apivex market score of 95.65 out of 100 places it in the top tier of scored markets nationally. Revenue growth scored 93.3 and investability 87.1, both strong. The regulation score of 60.75 reflects the dual-permit requirement, which adds compliance friction compared to unregulated markets.
Professionally managed operators dominate the top of the listing inventory. Master Vacation Homes leads with 1,887 listings and 73,406 reviews at a 4.75 average rating. Top Villas holds 1,310 listings with a 3.81 rating. Ohana Vacation manages 802 listings at a 4.26 rating, and Vacasa holds 762 listings with 13,367 reviews at a 4.38 rating. These four operators together account for a significant portion of total inventory, meaning independent operators compete against well-capitalized management companies with established review profiles.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mount Dora, Florida
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