Fish Haven, Idaho Short-Term Rental Market
Fish Haven, ID STRs averaged $167/night at 40.2% occupancy in April 2026, with strong year-over-year growth across all metrics.
Quick Answer: Fish Haven, Idaho is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 61%. average monthly revenue is $3,987. average daily rate is $262. the top operator is Vacasa with 240 listings. market score is 50/100 (grade D).
Market data reflects the Idaho Area regional market, which includes Fish Haven. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Fish Haven.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Fish Haven is a tiny unincorporated lakeshore community of about 213 residents on the Idaho side of Bear Lake in Bear Lake County. The town functions almost entirely as a seasonal second-home and vacation rental destination, anchored by Bear Lake — a turquoise lake marketed as the ‘Caribbean of the Rockies’ that straddles the Idaho-Utah state line. Bear Lake State Park recorded 539,173 visitors in 2022 as a regional benchmark.
In April 2026, the market posted a 40.2% average occupancy rate and a $167.15 average daily rate, yielding a RevPAR of $67.26. Average monthly revenue per listing was $1,907. Year-over-year performance was positive across all three metrics: occupancy rose 9.5 percentage points, ADR climbed 5.4%, and revenue grew 7.7%.
Inventory is almost entirely entire-place rentals: 6,529 of approximately 6,836 tracked listings are entire-place units, with 317 private rooms and 1 shared room. Airbnb dominates channel distribution, with 2,948 Airbnb-only listings versus 449 VRBO-only; 3,450 listings appear on both platforms. The bedroom mix shows 1-bedroom units as the most common (2,071), followed by 3-bedroom (1,760), 2-bedroom (1,568), 4-bedroom (846), and 5-bedroom (591). The overall market score is 49.9, with rental demand (66.2), regulation (66.3), and revenue growth (62.9) all at moderate levels.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41% | $211 | $2,384 |
| Feb | 48% | $218 | $2,603 |
| Mar | 41% | $180 | $2,144 |
| Apr | 38% | $151 | $1,655 |
| May | 48% | $165 | $1,872 |
| Jun | 61% | $225 | $3,270 |
| Jul | 68% | $251 | $4,440 |
| Aug | 60% | $239 | $3,897 |
| Sep | 46% | $190 | $2,375 |
| Oct | 42% | $161 | $1,921 |
| Nov | 41% | $161 | $1,707 |
| Dec | 46% | $208 | $2,296 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Fish Haven
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vacasa | 240 | 14,816 | ★ 4.59 |
| 2 | Evolve | 199 | 8,726 | ★ 4.76 |
| 3 | Tamarack Resort | 153 | 120 | ★ 4.63 |
| 4 | Done Right Management | 149 | 3,553 | ★ 4.82 |
| 5 | FrostCabins | 117 | 7,347 | ★ 4.78 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Fish Haven?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 2,071 |
| 2 bed | 1,568 |
| 3 bed | 1,760 |
| 4 bed | 846 |
| 5 bed | 591 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $269 |
| Luxury | $541 |
| Professionally Managed | $395 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,833 |
| Entire Place | $4,092 |
| House | $4,550 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 43.1% |
| vrbo | 6.6% |
| both | 50.4% |
Investment Analysis
At a typical home value of $625,385, and April 2026 average monthly revenue of $1,907, an annualized revenue of approximately $22,884 implies a gross yield of roughly 3.7%. The median list price of $875,467 suggests a wide bid-ask spread and limited for-sale inventory (24 units), meaning buyers may pay above the typical home value estimate in practice, which would compress yields further.
Property type affects revenue meaningfully: houses average $2,087 per month versus $1,533 for apartments, a $554 gap. Entire-place units average $1,949. Luxury-tier properties command $369.33 per night — 121% above the market-wide $167.15 — indicating significant revenue potential for high-end properties at Bear Lake. Professionally managed listings average $239.50 per night, a 43% premium over the all-listing rate, one of the largest PM premiums in this dataset.
Year-over-year momentum is the strongest investment signal here: occupancy up 9.5 points, revenue up 7.7% — both representing genuine demand growth rather than pricing pressure. The 2025 annual average monthly revenue of $2,908 shows a market that has grown steadily from $1,923 in 2017. The 2026 partial-year average (through April) of $2,494 tracks above 2025’s pace for those months. Investors should weigh the modest yield against potential appreciation in a high-demand, limited-supply mountain lake market.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
Fish Haven STR guests book an average of 36.4 days in advance — a shorter planning window than most comparable lake markets. This roughly 5-week lead time reflects a mix of spontaneous weekend bookings and planned summer visits, and it means operators have less pricing runway before a reservation locks in compared to destination markets with 60-plus-day lead times.
Average length of stay is 3.51 nights, just above the long-weekend range. The combination of shorter lead times and multi-night stays suggests that operators who set base prices firmly and avoid last-minute discounting can capture strong weekend demand without giving away revenue on fill-in nights. In peak summer (July at 67.7% occupancy), 3.51-night average stays imply roughly 6 bookings per month per listing — manageable from a turnover standpoint.
The 36-day lead time also means that yield management tools with 30-to-45-day pricing windows are well-matched to this market. Operators who adjust pricing weekly in the 4 to 6 weeks before a target weekend are likely to capture the highest-intent demand at optimal rates.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Fish Haven is unincorporated, so short-term rentals are governed by Bear Lake County and Idaho state law. Idaho Code 67-6539 prohibits counties and cities from banning short-term or vacation rentals; they must be treated as residential land use. STRs are therefore clearly permitted in Fish Haven.
A significant regulatory change is underway. House Bill 583, signed into law by Governor Brad Little on March 16, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, bars counties and cities from requiring any permit, license, registration, or fee for STRs, and prohibits rental-specific operational requirements — including owner-occupancy mandates, rental-day caps, STR count limits, and requirements for additional parking, insurance, or rental-activity reporting. Bear Lake County’s existing STR permit and conditions (including a criticized asphalt driveway requirement) become unenforceable as of July 1, 2026. A companion measure, Senate Bill 1263, did not advance and was held in committee on February 27, 2026.
On taxes, hosts must collect Idaho’s 6% state sales tax plus the 2% Travel and Convention tax on stays under 31 days (approximately 8% combined). Fish Haven and Bear Lake County do not appear to levy an additional local-option lodging tax beyond state requirements. There is no owner-occupancy, primary-residence, or annual night-cap requirement. Investors operating before July 1, 2026 should confirm current county permit conditions with Bear Lake County Planning and Zoning.
Market Comparison
Fish Haven’s April 2026 occupancy of 40.2% is below the U.S. STR median of approximately 55%, but April is the weakest month of the year here — the shoulder between winter snowmobile season and summer lake season. The $167.15 ADR is below the national median of approximately $220, consistent with a rural mountain lake market with a smaller-volume inventory relative to major resort destinations.
Year-over-year growth metrics are the standout: occupancy up 9.5 points and revenue up 7.7% — both among the stronger growth signals compared to most U.S. beach and lake markets that saw flatter or negative occupancy trends in 2025 to 2026. The 2025 full-year average monthly revenue of $2,908 represents an 88% increase over the 2017 average of $1,923, reflecting sustained long-run demand growth.
Vacasa leads professional management with 240 listings and 14,816 reviews (4.59 average rating). Evolve follows with 199 listings and a stronger 4.76 average rating across 8,726 reviews. Done Right Management holds 149 listings with the highest rating at 4.82 (3,553 reviews). FrostCabins rounds out the top five with 117 listings and 7,347 reviews (4.78 rating). Together, the top four operators (excluding Tamarack Resort, which manages resort-specific inventory) account for 705 listings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fish Haven, Idaho
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