The Villages, Florida Short-Term Rental Market
The Villages STRs averaged $189/night at 55.2% occupancy in June 2026 across 8,090 active listings.
Quick Answer: The Villages, Florida is an active short-term rental market. average occupancy is 55%. average monthly revenue is $2,878. average daily rate is $189. the top operator is Evolve with 358 listings. market score is 60/100 (grade C).
Market data reflects the Florida Central Area regional market, which includes The Villages. Regulations, taxes, and permit details below are specific to The Villages.
Market Score Breakdown
Five dimensions Apivex evaluates per market.
Market Overview
The Villages, Florida had 8,090 active short-term rental listings as of the latest snapshot, split between Airbnb (3,067), Vrbo (977), and 4,046 properties listed on both platforms. The market posted a $189.14 average daily rate (ADR) and 55.18% occupancy in June 2026, generating average monthly revenue of $2,878 per listing. Occupancy fell 2.40% year over year, ADR rose 0.88%, and average revenue slipped 0.46% over the trailing year.
Entire-place listings dominate at 7,621 (94.2% of supply), with 468 private-room listings and 1 shared-room listing. By bedroom count, 3-bedroom properties are the largest category at 2,801 listings, followed closely by 2-bedroom (2,787), 1-bedroom (1,799), 4-bedroom (551), and 5-bedroom (129).
The Villages is a 26,000-acre, 55-plus age-restricted master-planned retirement community spanning Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties in central Florida, with a population of 94,261, and is described as the fastest-growing metro/micropolitan area in the U.S. Visitors are overwhelmingly older adults: retirees, prospective buyers on ‘Lifestyle Preview’ trial stays, and family or friends visiting residents. The community is built around golf (50-plus courses), more than 3,000 miles of golf-cart paths, and three town squares with nightly free live music. Rentals here cater largely to snowbirds and prospective residents rather than general tourism, so demand skews toward longer stays and a winter peak rather than nightly vacation bookings.
Booking data shows a 43.84-day average lead time and a 5.17-night average length of stay. StaySTRA’s overall market score for The Villages is 60.09, with investability the strongest sub-component at 83.88 and revenue growth the weakest at 47.48.
Seasonal Patterns
| Month | Occupancy | ADR | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | $178 | $3,126 |
| Feb | 80% | $159 | $3,055 |
| Mar | 78% | $159 | $3,290 |
| Apr | 58% | $154 | $2,467 |
| May | 53% | $154 | $2,250 |
| Jun | 60% | $164 | $2,579 |
| Jul | 64% | $168 | $3,001 |
| Aug | 52% | $149 | $2,255 |
| Sep | 48% | $136 | $1,809 |
| Oct | 54% | $134 | $1,936 |
| Nov | 58% | $139 | $2,032 |
| Dec | 57% | $148 | $2,217 |
Top Short-Term Rental Operators in The Villages
Ranked by total active listings. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape.
| # | Operator | Listings | Reviews | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolve | 358 | 13,225 | ★ 4.74 |
| 2 | A&J Home Concierge | 160 | 633 | ★ 4.74 |
| 3 | McCormick Management Vacation Rental | 106 | 3,510 | ★ 4.84 |
| 4 | Village Valet Property Management, LLC | 102 | 1,251 | ★ 4.68 |
| 5 | Down Home Properties | 87 | 1,128 | ★ 4.69 |
What Kind of STR Should I Buy in The Villages?
Revenue and pricing by property type, tier, and bedroom count.
Revenue by Bedroom Count
| 1 bed | 1,799 |
| 2 bed | 2,787 |
| 3 bed | 2,801 |
| 4 bed | 551 |
| 5 bed | 129 |
ADR by Property Tier
| Entire Home | $194 |
| Luxury | $309 |
| Professionally Managed | $206 |
Revenue by Dwelling Type
| Apartment | $2,058 |
| Entire Place | $2,954 |
| House | $3,084 |
Booking Channel Mix
Distribution of bookings across major STR platforms.
| Channel | Share |
|---|---|
| airbnb | 37.9% |
| vrbo | 12.1% |
| both | 50% |
Investment Analysis
The Villages’ ADR tiers span a moderate range: the market-wide average of $189.14 sits below the entire-home tier at $194.18, professionally managed listings at $205.85, and the luxury tier at $308.82, a $119.68 gap and roughly 63.3% premium over the market average.
On the acquisition side, the typical home value is $393,135, with a median sale price of $366,333 against a median list price of $373,000, and homes selling at 98.2% of list price with a median 45 days to pending, indicating a tight, close-to-asking-price market. Annualizing the $2,878 average monthly revenue produces roughly $34,538 in gross annual revenue per listing, a gross yield of about 8.8% against the typical home value, before accounting for mortgage, management fees, taxes, insurance, and operating costs.
Revenue by property type favors larger homes: houses average $3,084 per month, ahead of entire-place listings overall at $2,954 and well ahead of apartments at $2,058, a 49.9% spread between apartment and house revenue.
The trailing-year trend is roughly flat: ADR rose 0.88% while occupancy fell 2.40%, netting a 0.46% revenue decline. StaySTRA’s revenue-growth score of 47.48 out of 100 is the lowest of the six tracked market-score components, and the age-restricted, longer-stay nature of this market may explain the softer growth relative to typical nightly-vacation-rental markets.
Revenue Trend (5 yr)
ADR & Occupancy Trends (5 yr)
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Booking Insights
The Villages guests book an average of 43.84 days in advance, giving operators roughly six weeks of runway to adjust pricing ahead of arrival. This lead time supports dynamic pricing that raises rates as winter-season weeks fill in, though the market’s snowbird and prospective-resident guest base means booking patterns may differ from typical vacation markets, with longer planning horizons for extended winter stays.
Average length of stay is 5.17 nights, though the area profile notes that rentals here often run considerably longer than nightly vacation stays, weeks to months for snowbirds and prospective residents evaluating a move. This suggests the 5.17-night average may understate typical stay length for a meaningful share of the market’s longer-term rentals, and operators should consider offering weekly and monthly rate discounts alongside nightly pricing.
Given the deed-restriction landscape favoring longer minimum stays in many districts, operators should prioritize compliance with district-specific minimum-rental-period covenants (often 30 days or more) over optimizing for short-stay turnover.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
Short-term rentals are legal in The Villages, and a state permit is required: operators need a Florida DBPR Vacation Rental Dwelling license, renewing annually at roughly $170 (about $220 the first year including a $50 application fee). There is no municipal STR permit because The Villages is unincorporated, but private CDD and HOA deed restrictions also apply.
The Villages spans unincorporated portions of Sumter, Lake, and Marion counties and is governed largely by developer deed restrictions and 17 Community Development Districts rather than city zoning. The community is 55-plus age-restricted: at least one occupant per home must be 55 or older and no permanent residents under 19 are allowed, a rule that applies to renters as well. Many districts’ deed restrictions include ‘no business’ language and minimum-rental-period covenants, often 30 days or longer, which can effectively limit true nightly short-term rentals in specific villages even though Florida law bars local governments from capping rental duration or frequency.
There is no owner-occupancy requirement and no primary-residence requirement at the state or county level. Taxes vary by county: Sumter County repealed its 2% tourist development tax effective October 1, 2020, so Sumter-side rentals pay only 6% state sales tax plus a 1% county surtax (7% total), while the Lake and Marion portions carry their own local tourist development taxes on top of state tax, so operators should verify the applicable rate by exact address. Enforcement runs primarily through the community’s Deed Compliance and CDD apparatus and DBPR licensing rather than aggressive municipal code enforcement, and is characterized as moderate overall. Investors should confirm the specific district’s deed restrictions and minimum-rental terms before purchasing, since these private covenants are often the binding constraint here.
Market Comparison
The Villages’ 55.18% occupancy sits almost exactly at the roughly 55% national STR median, while its $189.14 ADR runs about 14% below the national median of approximately $220. This pairing, near-median demand with a below-median rate, reflects the market’s unique character as an age-restricted retirement community rather than a typical vacation destination, where rentals often serve prospective buyers and long-term snowbirds rather than tourists paying premium nightly rates.
The market’s top property managers include Evolve, the leader with 358 listings and 13,225 reviews (4.737 rating), followed by A&J Home Concierge (160 listings, 633 reviews, 4.737 rating), McCormick Management Vacation Rental (106 listings, 3,510 reviews, 4.838 rating, the highest-rated of the top five), Village Valet Property Management (102 listings, 1,251 reviews, 4.684 rating), and Down Home Properties (87 listings, 1,128 reviews, 4.694 rating). Together these five operators manage 813 listings, about 10.0% of the market’s 8,090 total active listings.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Villages, Florida
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