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Self-Managing a Rental in Miami, Miami Beach & Fort Lauderdale

For individual owners and "accidental landlords" in Miami-Dade and Broward counties deciding whether to manage a long-term rental themselves or hire a property manager: the real cost of each, a Florida landlord checklist with links to the statutes, and the local registrations and business tax receipts to check.

General information only, not legal or tax advice. Landlord-tenant laws and local rules change. Before you sign a lease, keep or deduct from a deposit, or start an eviction, check the current law and talk to a local attorney. Last checked: November 2026.

The true cost: self-managing vs. hiring a manager

What a South Florida manager costs

Based on fees that local companies publish on their own websites (checked November 2026):

Area	Long-term management fee	Leasing fee	Renewal fee
Miami	5%–8.9% of monthly rent; 8% is the most common published rate (one plan adds $49 a month)	About one month's rent (one company charges 90% with management)	$0 to 15% of one month's rent
Miami Beach	8%–10% (one company publishes long-term fees)	One month's rent	Half a month's rent
Fort Lauderdale	7%–9%, 8% most common; one company charges $59 a month plus 4.5%–7.9%	10% to 100% of one month's rent, depending on company and plan	Varies; one company lists $300

Vacation-rental management is priced differently (12%–20% at the one Miami company that publishes a vacation-rental rate, 20% at the one Miami Beach company that publishes a rate). See every company on the Miami, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale compare pages.

Worked example (arithmetic, not a market estimate)

For every $1,000 of monthly rent at the most common published South Florida rate:

8% management × 12 months	$960
Leasing fee, one month's rent (year with a new tenant)	$1,000
Total for that year	$1,960

Scale this to your own rent. In a renewal year, swap the leasing fee for the renewal fee. Several Fort Lauderdale plans charge a smaller leasing fee. Setup, inspection or eviction fees are extra.

What self-managing costs you instead

Cost	If you self-manage	How to put a number on it
Your time	Listing, showings, screening, rent follow-up, repair calls, move-in and move-out inspections	Your hours per month × 12 × what an hour of your time is worth to you. Count the busy months, when a tenant moves out and you re-lease, separately.
Vacancy	You price, market and show the home yourself	Each vacant week costs about one fifty-second of a year's rent (about $230 for every $1,000 of monthly rent). In South Florida a one-month leasing fee equals about four vacant weeks, so it only pays off if the manager fills the home faster or with a better tenant.
Repairs	You find vendors and take emergency calls; you pay the vendor directly	You pay for the repair either way. With a manager, ask about invoice markups and repair approval limits (see hidden fees).
Condo or HOA rules	You handle association lease approvals, move-in rules and paperwork	Many South Florida rentals are condos. Read your association's documents for leasing rules and fees before you list.
Leases & legal forms	You supply a lease, deposit notices and any default notices	Budget for a local attorney to review your lease. Mistakes in a notice can delay an eviction.
Evictions	You file and attend court yourself or hire an attorney	Court filing and service costs, attorney fees, and lost rent while the case runs. Ask each manager what it charges to handle one.

Compare both sides with your own rent in the rent & net income estimator (it also has Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale defaults and HUD's Fair Market Rents for reference), or total one manager's quote in the fee calculator.

Legal forms: The Florida Bar publishes landlord/tenant forms, including notices for unpaid rent and noncompliance, and says they "have been approved by the Florida Supreme Court." It also warns there is no guarantee they comport with current law and that they are not a substitute for an attorney.

Florida landlord checklist

Florida's residential landlord-tenant law is Part II of Chapter 83, Florida Statutes (the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act). It applies statewide, including Miami-Dade and Broward. Key rules for a self-managing owner, from the 2026 Florida Statutes:

Deposit amount: section 83.49 sets rules for holding and returning deposits but doesn't set a maximum deposit amount.
Holding the deposit: keep it in a separate account in a Florida financial institution (non-interest-bearing, or interest-bearing with the tenant getting at least 75% of the annualized average interest rate or 5% simple interest a year, as the landlord elects), or post a surety bond. Don't commingle it with your own money or use it until it is due to you. Source: s. 83.49(1).
Deposit notice: in the lease or within 30 days of receiving a deposit or advance rent, tell the tenant in writing where it is held, whether it earns interest, and include the disclosure printed in the statute. The statute says this notice subsection doesn't apply to landlords who rent fewer than five units, but the rest of 83.49 still does. Source: s. 83.49(2).
Returning the deposit: if you make no claim, return it within 15 days after the lease ends. To claim part of it, send written notice by certified mail (or e-mail as allowed by s. 83.505) within 30 days, using the statute's wording; if you miss the 30 days, you lose the right to claim against the deposit. The tenant then has 15 days to object, and you must return any balance within 30 days after your notice. Source: s. 83.49(3).
Entry: you may enter at any time to protect or preserve the premises. For repairs, give at least 24 hours' notice and enter between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. You may also enter with the tenant's consent, in an emergency, if consent is unreasonably withheld, or if the tenant has been away for half a rental period. Don't use access to harass the tenant. Source: s. 83.53.
Late or unpaid rent: if rent isn't paid, deliver a written 3-day notice demanding the rent or possession. The 3 days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and court-observed legal holidays, and the statute gives the wording. Source: s. 83.56(3)-(4). Late fees aren't set in these sections, so put any late fee terms in your written lease.
Other lease violations: for problems the tenant can fix (for example unauthorized pets or parking), give a 7-day notice to cure. For serious problems that can't be cured, a 7-day notice to vacate. Source: s. 83.56(2).
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: at least 30 days' written notice before the end of a monthly period (7 days for week-to-week, 60 days for year-to-year). Source: s. 83.57.
Partial rent after a 3-day notice: if you accept partial rent after posting the notice, the statute requires you to give a receipt, put the money in the court registry when you file, or post a new 3-day notice. Source: s. 83.56(5).
State law controls landlord-tenant rules: since 2023, s. 83.425 says the regulation of residential tenancies and the landlord-tenant relationship is preempted to the state, and it supersedes local regulations on matters such as screening, deposits, application fees, lease terms, disclosures, landlord fees and notice requirements.

Eviction steps at a high level

Proper notice (3-day or 7-day, above) and the tenancy ends without the tenant leaving.
File a complaint for possession in the county court of the county where the rental is (Miami-Dade County for Miami and Miami Beach, Broward County for Fort Lauderdale). A landlord's agent who isn't an attorney can only do the initial filing. The case uses the summary procedure in s. 51.011. Source: s. 83.59.
Tenant's defense: a tenant who wants to defend must comply with s. 83.60(2); if not, the court must enter a default judgment for removal with a writ of possession to issue immediately. Source: s. 83.56(5)(b).
Writ of possession: after judgment, the clerk issues a writ to the sheriff, who puts you in possession after 24 hours' notice posted on the property. Source: s. 83.62.
No self-help: you can't recover possession except through a court action, or when the tenant surrenders or abandons the unit. Don't change the locks or shut off utilities to force a tenant out. Source: s. 83.59(3).

Eviction cases have strict timing and pleading rules. Talk to a local attorney before you file.

Miami-Dade and Broward: registrations and local rules

Miami and Miami Beach (Miami-Dade County)

Miami-Dade County Tenant's Bill of Rights: the County Code includes a Tenant's Bill of Rights (Ordinance 22-47, Chapter 17, Article XIV), monitored by the county's Office of Housing Advocacy, and it requires landlords to give tenants a notice of their rights. Source: Miami-Dade County Code, Chapter 17, Article XIV. The state preemption law above (s. 83.425) took effect after this ordinance was adopted, and we didn't find an official county page explaining how the two fit together, so check with the Office of Housing Advocacy (OHA resource guide) before you rely on either.
Miami-Dade County local business tax receipt: the Tax Collector says businesses located within a municipality must obtain both a city receipt and a Miami-Dade County receipt (Miami-Dade Tax Collector, Local Business Tax Receipt). Whether renting out your own long-term rental counts as a business that needs one depends on your property, so check with the Tax Collector.
City of Miami business tax receipt: the city says every business needs a City Business Tax Receipt to operate in the city, plus a Miami-Dade County Local Business Tax Receipt, and most businesses need a Certificate of Use first (City of Miami, Get a Business Tax Receipt). Its page doesn't say whether an owner renting out a single home or condo needs one, so check with the city.
Miami Beach: we didn't find a Miami Beach long-term rental registration or business tax rule for individual owners on the official pages we checked. Check with the city. Short-term rentals are tightly regulated there; see our Miami Beach short-term rental summary and the city’s vacation rental page.
Short-term rentals anywhere in Miami-Dade: the county says vacation rentals must be licensed by the State of Florida and registered with the Department of Revenue, and anyone renting for 6 months or less must register for a county tourist tax account (Miami-Dade County, short-term vacation rentals). See our Miami short-term rental summary.

Fort Lauderdale (Broward County)

Landlord registration: the City of Fort Lauderdale says it has an ordinance requiring property owners to register their rental properties with the city's Code Compliance division, giving a phone number and email address where they can be reached. Registration is done online through LauderBuild. Source: City of Fort Lauderdale, Application and Registration Programs. Check with the city for fees and which units are exempt.
City business tax receipt: the city says a BTR is required for most businesses operating in the city, that it is separate from the Broward County Local Business Tax Receipt, and that most businesses need both (City of Fort Lauderdale, Business Tax). Whether a single long-term rental owner needs one isn't stated there, so check with the city's Business Tax office.
Broward County: for long-term rentals, check with Broward County on any county business tax receipt. For short-term rentals, Broward collects a tourist development tax and says a county Local Business Tax Receipt may be required (Broward County, Tourist Development Tax). See our Fort Lauderdale short-term rental summary.

Statewide

Vacation rental license: Florida's DBPR says you need a vacation rental license if you rent an entire unit "more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or 1 calendar month, whichever is less," or advertise it as regularly rented to guests (DBPR guide to vacation rentals). All areas: short-term rental rules.
Hiring someone else to manage it: in Florida, a person who manages someone else's rental for pay generally needs a real estate license; owners managing their own property are exempt. Check any license on the DBPR license search.

When hiring a manager pays off

You live far away or may move. Repair calls, showings, condo association paperwork and inspections are hard to do from another city.
Your time is worth more than the fee. If your hours × your hourly value is more than the yearly fees in the worked example above, a manager is the cheaper option.
You're not comfortable with the legal steps. Deposit notices, default notices and evictions have strict rules and deadlines (see the checklist above).
You own several units or a short-term rental. Vacation rentals add licensing, tourist tax returns and guest turnover.
Hurricane season worries you. Ask any manager in writing what it does before and after a storm and what it charges for that.

Ready to compare? Start with our How to Hire a Property Manager guide and the printable interview checklist, then:

Compare Miami managers Compare Fort Lauderdale managers Fee calculator Rent & net income estimator DIY vs. manager guide

Official sources (checked November 2026)

Disclaimer. This page is general information for rental owners, not legal, tax or financial advice, and it isn't a substitute for a lawyer. Laws change, and courts and local offices may apply them differently. Consult a local attorney for leases and evictions. Last checked November 2026. See our site disclaimer.