Arley, Alabama Short-Term Rental Market
Arley, AL STRs averaged $198/night at 47.7% occupancy in April 2026, with a 95.1 investability score across a lake-driven market.
Quick Answer: Arley, Alabama is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy in the Alabama Area market area is 55%. average monthly revenue in the Alabama Area market area is $3,645. average daily rate in the Alabama Area market area is $245. the top operator in the Alabama Area market area is Evolve with 254 listings. market score is 77/100 (grade B).
Market data reflects the Alabama Area regional market, which includes Arley. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to Arley.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions StaySTRA evaluates per market.
Market Overview
Arley sits on Lewis Smith Lake in Winston County, Alabama, a 21,000-acre reservoir that anchors year-round outdoor recreation demand. The short-term rental market logged an average daily rate of $198 and occupancy of 47.7% in April 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $2,531 per active listing. RevPAR stood at $94.
The listing supply is dominated by entire-place rentals, which account for 7,252 of 7,599 listing-slots tracked (approximately 95% of supply). Private rooms represent 346 listings and just one shared-room listing is active. By bedroom count, the market skews toward mid-size properties: 3-bedroom listings lead with 2,198 tracked slots, followed by 2-bedroom (2,004) and 1-bedroom (1,883). Larger properties with 4 or 5 bedrooms together account for 1,499 slots, reflecting lake house demand from groups.
Channel distribution shows Airbnb-only listings at 3,323, VRBO-only at 783, and cross-listed properties at 3,493. The strong cross-listing share suggests operators are actively optimizing reach across both platforms.
Year-over-year, occupancy declined modestly by 0.95 percentage points, ADR gained 0.88%, and revenue grew 2.0%. The market’s overall score is 76.6 out of 100, with investability the standout at 95.1 and seasonality scoring 77.5.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Jan | 36% |
| Feb | 46% |
| Mar | 53% |
| Apr | 49% |
| May | 50% |
| Jun | 59% |
| Jul | 59% |
| Aug | 46% |
| Sep | 45% |
| Oct | 46% |
| Nov | 45% |
| Dec | 38% |
Month-by-month nightly rates and revenue figures for Arley are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in Alabama Area market area
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape. Operator data is published for the Alabama Area market as a whole, which includes Arley, so these counts are not Arley-only figures.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 254 | 8,558 | ★ 4.73 |
| 2 | Smith Lake | 65 | 556 | ★ 4.73 |
| 3 | Magnolia Linen Company | 53 | 4,687 | ★ 4.90 |
| 4 | Mentone Mountain Getaways | 45 | 3,537 | ★ 4.81 |
| 5 | 360 Destinations | 44 | 717 | ★ 4.73 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in Arley?
Revenue and nightly-rate breakdowns by bedroom count, property tier, and dwelling type for Arley are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 43.7% |
| vrbo | 10.3% |
| both | 46% |
Home Value Trends (Arley)
Typical home values, median sale prices, and the 10-year price trend for Arley are available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Booking Insights
Booking-window and length-of-stay analysis for Arley — how far ahead guests book and how to price around it — is available to StaySTRA Pro members. Unlock with StaySTRA Pro or analyze a specific address free.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Arley imposes no dedicated short-term rental permit or license at the town or county level as of May 2026. Alabama has no statewide STR licensing requirement, so operators face no permit application, no cap on active licenses, and no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement.
The primary compliance obligation is lodging tax collection and remittance. The current enforced rate is 7%: a 5% state lodging tax (Alabama Department of Revenue, due monthly by the 20th) plus a 2% city lodging tax levied by the Town of Arley. No maximum-nights-per-year restriction has been found at the state, county, or town level.
A significant pending change: the Alabama Governor signed HB 611 on April 13, 2026, authorizing the Winston County Commission to levy an additional 8% county lodging tax plus a $5 per night fire protection fee. This law requires voter approval before taking effect and carries a stated effective date of October 1, 2026. No referendum date has been publicly confirmed. If passed, the combined lodging tax burden would increase from the current 7% to approximately 15%, and the $5 per night fire fee would apply on top. Operators should monitor Winston County Commission proceedings and the referendum schedule.
The regulation market score of 63.5 reflects this pending uncertainty. Enforcement of current rules is rated minimal. HOA or deed restrictions on individual lakefront properties may apply and should be verified per parcel.
Market Comparison
Arley’s April 2026 occupancy of 47.7% sits below the US STR median of approximately 55%, which is consistent with a small lake market that has pronounced seasonal concentration rather than year-round demand. ADR of $198 is below the US STR median of approximately $220, reflecting the market’s predominantly mid-size property mix and non-urban location.
Where Arley distinguishes itself is on investability (95.1 out of 100), driven by low regulatory friction and competitive entry costs relative to comparable lake markets in the Southeast. Markets like the Smith Lake area or the Guntersville Lake region share similar demand drivers; Arley’s Winston County location at Smith Lake’s north end concentrates supply near the lake’s clearest waters and most accessible boat launch points.
Operator concentration is notable. Evolve leads with 254 listings and 8,558 reviews at a 4.73 rating, making it the dominant professional manager. Smith Lake (a local firm) operates 65 listings; Magnolia Linen Company manages 53 properties with the highest average rating in the top 5 at 4.90. The top 5 operators together account for 461 listings. The total channel-tracked listing count (approximately 7,599 listing-slots) suggests the top 5 represent a modest share of overall supply, meaning the market is fragmented with many independent operators.
Frequently Asked Questions About Arley, Alabama
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