Short Term Rental
Management

Surge offers local full service vacation rental management for busy vacation rental owners and Airbnb hosts in Nashville, Tennessee

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Nashville, Tennessee Short Term Rental Overview

Airbnb Market
Nashville's short-term rental market presents exceptional revenue opportunities for property owners, with average daily rates consistently outperforming traditional long-term rentals by 200-300% annually. The city's tourism economy generates over 16 million visitors yearly, driven by its world-renowned music scene, Broadway entertainment district, and expanding corporate presence from companies like Amazon and Oracle, creating sustained demand across leisure and business travel segments. Properties within 3-5 miles of downtown Nashville typically achieve 70-85% occupancy rates with nightly rates ranging from $150-400 depending on size and amenities, translating to gross annual revenues of $40,000-120,000 for well-positioned units. The market benefits from limited hotel inventory relative to demand, particularly during peak seasons including CMA Music Festival, NFL games, and the 40+ annual conventions at Music City Center, allowing strategic property owners to capitalize on premium pricing during high-demand periods. Additionally, Nashville's favorable regulatory environment for short-term rentals, combined with the city's projected 15% population growth through 2030, positions early investors to benefit from both immediate cash flow generation and long-term property appreciation in one of the Southeast's most dynamic real estate markets.
Short Term Rental Regulations
Nashville's short-term rental regulations are intricate and constantly evolving, with the Metro Council frequently updating zoning restrictions, permit requirements, and operational standards that can leave property owners vulnerable to hefty fines, legal action, or forced closure of their rental operations. The city requires specific permits, imposes strict occupancy limits, mandates safety inspections, and enforces complex tax collection obligations including hotel occupancy taxes and state sales taxes, while non-compliance can result in penalties exceeding thousands of dollars and potential criminal charges for operating without proper licensing. Navigating these shifting regulations, from understanding which zoning districts allow short-term rentals to ensuring proper registration with both Metro Nashville and the Tennessee Department of Revenue, creates a minefield of legal exposure that can quickly overwhelm individual property owners who lack expertise in municipal law and tax compliance. However, partnering with a professional short-term rental management service eliminates these risks entirely, as experienced managers handle all aspects of legal compliance, from obtaining and maintaining proper permits and licenses to collecting and remitting all required taxes, ensuring your property operates within full legal compliance while you enjoy peace of mind and maximum profitability.
Occupancy Rates
Nashville's Airbnb market experiences distinct seasonal fluctuations with peak occupancy rates typically occurring during spring (March-May) and fall (September-November) when the city's famous music festivals, pleasant weather, and outdoor events draw maximum tourist traffic, often pushing occupancy rates above 75-80%. Summer months see moderate demand despite higher temperatures, while winter represents the slowest shoulder season with occupancy rates frequently dropping to 50-60% as fewer visitors brave the colder weather and reduced festival activity. Professional revenue management becomes crucial during these cyclical patterns, requiring hosts to implement dynamic pricing strategies that maximize rates during high-demand periods like CMA Fest, Bonnaroo proximity weekends, and NFL season, while strategically lowering prices during slower months to maintain competitive occupancy levels. Successful Nashville Airbnb operators must continuously adjust their pricing algorithms based on local events, weather patterns, and competitor analysis, often increasing rates by 30-50% during peak weekends while offering attractive discounts during weekday winter periods to ensure consistent bookings and optimize annual revenue despite the market's inherent seasonality.
Vacation Rental Management
Managing a vacation rental in Nashville's bustling tourism market presents overwhelming operational challenges that can quickly derail profitability and guest satisfaction. The city's high-volume tourist traffic means constant guest turnover requiring same-day cleaning, restocking, and quality inspections between bookings, often with just 2-3 hour windows during peak season when properties can book back-to-back for weeks. Guests expect immediate responses to questions about Broadway shows, restaurant recommendations, and property issues at all hours, creating a 24/7 communication burden that disrupts personal life and can lead to negative reviews if response times lag. Nashville's older housing stock and extreme weather fluctuations demand frequent maintenance attention, from HVAC systems working overtime during humid summers to plumbing issues in historic properties, while finding reliable local contractors who can respond quickly during peak tourist periods proves both expensive and challenging. Without professional property management handling these intensive operational demands, owners typically see their 5-star ratings plummet due to delayed responses, maintenance oversights, and inconsistent guest experiences, ultimately destroying their passive income potential in a market where even minor service lapses result in scathing reviews that can take months to overcome.
Attractions and Amenities
Nashville's tourism centers around four major attractions that drive visitor demand: the Country Music Hall of Fame and historic Music Row recording studios, the iconic Broadway honky-tonk district with venues like Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and The Stage, the Grand Ole Opry House, and the trendy Gulch neighborhood featuring upscale dining and nightlife. To maximize revenue from guests visiting these attractions, properties must offer specific amenities that cater to music tourists and nightlife enthusiasts, including soundproofing or noise-tolerant accommodations since visitors often return late from Broadway's live music scene, secure instrument storage for traveling musicians and music fans carrying guitars or equipment, premium Wi-Fi for guests sharing their Nashville experiences on social media and streaming music, designated ride-share pickup areas since most visitors use Uber/Lyft to navigate between Broadway and the Gulch safely after drinking, late-night concierge services to assist with last-minute show tickets or restaurant reservations, and stylish common areas where guests can gather to plan their music venue crawls or discuss the night's performances, as Nashville visitors are typically social travelers seeking authentic country music experiences who value properties that understand and facilitate their music-focused itineraries.

Why choose Surge?

Surge is local Airbnb management that’s reliable, affordable and the best for your property.
Cost
Guest communications
Host Communications
Insurance
Contract
Cost
Starting at 15% fee
Guest communications
Guest response within 10 minutes, 24 hours a day
Host Communications
Designated host call in phone line
Insurance
Full damage protection for every reservation
Contract
No annual agreements
Other Property Mangers
Cost
25-40% fee
Guest communications
Sporadic guest communications
Host Communications
Bot response assistants
Insurance
Unreliable insurance coverage
Contract
Contract lock-ins

Understand Your STR Income

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Surge is geared towards maximizing potential

Be at ease with the knowledge that your vacation rental is being optimized to its fullest potential.
30%
In gross revenue
150 M
Potential guests
4.9
Superhost status
7+
Booking platforms
1
Property manager
The house was great. It accommodated our large group nicely. The owner was responsive and checked in on us throughout the trip. The gate around the home added privacy and security. The beds were comfortable as well. Extra linen, towels and washcloths. We are looking to book this home in the future!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
We really appreciated Surge. He was responsive, attentive, and went above to make sure our stay was seamless. You can tell he takes pride in providing a clean/organized place. Everyone loved the pool table and shuffleboard. This place is also very close to great restaurants. The place we went to had the best catfish. Would definitely rent from Surge again!!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Our group really enjoyed our long weekend stay here! The property was very clean and spacious but also provided some privacy to accommodate our large family. Surge was responsive when we reached out to them and also accommodated an early check-in. We felt secure given that the property was gated and had smart locks on both entry doors. We strongly recommend this property and would love to stay here again!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
My family and I were here for my daughter’s graduation from UofH. Surge was very upfront, kept us informed and accommodating. The place was clean and fit my entire family comfortably. We have already made plans to come back. Great location, private and safe environment. Would highly recommend! Thank you Surge for making this stay memorable and stress free for our family!
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
Great stay that accommodated all our needs for a successful for trip to Houston, i hope to Book in the coming future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers
The host was great, he responded quickly when needed and checked in on us from time to time throughout the whole day. He was awesome and the place was great for my family of 16. Definitely will book with him in the future.
Airbnb Guest Hosted by Surge
Head of Design, Layers

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about the product and billing.
Does Surge Property Management allow pets in its short term rentals?
Surge Property Management leaves that decision to the property owner. While allowing pets can be a big perk for some guests, Surge does not have any requirements for the property owner to allow it. Service animals are a different case. Surge is prohibited to refuse a reservation, charge pet fees, hold guests to different rules, apply differential treatment or use discriminatory language if a guest is accompanied by a service animal. A guests service animal must not be out of control, un-housebroken, left alone at the listing without prior approval, allowed into areas that are considered unauthorized by the guest and allowed in a public space without being harnessed, leashed, or tethered and not under the guests control.
Do I get access to an owner portal?
Surge Property Management has a tech leading owner portal to keep its property owners in the loop, instead of on the outside looking in. In the owner portal you can reserve days for personal use, see pending reservations, nightly pricing rates, owner statements, expense receipts, guest messaging and more!
Do you screen the guests that are staying in my property?
Our intelligent Guest Screening technology allows us to screen vacation rental guests before they enter your property, making it easier to keep bad guests out. We proactively assess the risk posed by each guest, through legal, non-discriminatory checks. Guests will be asked to submit some personal details including their name, date of birth, physical home address and contact details. We then verify by having the guest take a live selfie and submit a photo of their ID(either a drivers license or passport). This information will then be processed to determine the true identity of your guest, including whether the ID is fraudulent and if the provided details match those on the ID. This process will generate a risk report for us to review before the guest arrives.
Do you provide insurance for guest damages?
We partner with the premier provider of short term rental protection also offering guest screening and comprehensive insurance coverage. Our partner brings confidence and peace of mind to both Surge Property Management and its clients(homeowners). Our third party partner has protected over 60 billion in homeowner liability coverage and 1 million guest nights. Ask your Surge sales representative for more details.
What happens if there is guest damage to my property?
Each guest is required to make a $500 security deposit. Any damage above $500 we are able to document, submit, and follow a claim through on your behalf with our short term rental insurance partner covering up to $5,000,000.
How does Surge compare to a national provider like Vacasa?
While both Surge and Vacasa both have a full service model designed to be hands off from the property owner, Surge stands out above the rest by being more intentional and selective with the properties we decide to accept into our management portfolio. This allows us to give the required attention to the properties we manage instead of just "setting it and forgetting it" like the other property managers do. Once you go onboard with them you just become another number.
Does Surge handle the maintenance of the vacation rental?
Yes, Surge is able to handle any property maintenance(including hot tub & pool) for your property. We have a large network of service providers, additionally, if you have a preferred vendor we can assign and coordinate maintenance with them as well.
What services does Surge Property Management offer?

Surge is a full-service property manager and provides the following service to property owners:

  • Listing creating and management across multiple channels
  • Calendar management
  • Cleaning
  • Laundry
  • Restocking
  • Maintenance
  • Dynamic Pricing
  • Lock automation
  • Guest Portal
  • Owners Portal
  • Listing optimization
  • Photography
  • 24/7 guest communication
  • Check-in/out support
  • and more!
Is Surge Property Management a Superhost on Airbnb?
Yes, Surge Property Management is a Superhost on AirBNB. Airbnb defines a Superhost as a Host who goes above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality. Guests can easily identify a Superhost from the badge that appears on their Airbnb listing and profile. Superhosts have more visibility and earning potential.
How and when do I get paid?
Surge Property Management initiates ACH payment to its property owners once a month by the 10th day of the next month. Along with the ACH deposit sent to you, you also receive a highly detailed statement for review.
Are there any hidden fees?
Surge Property Management has the most transparent pricing in the industry. Our property owners are our Partners in business which is why we hold transparency at a very high standard. With your monthly statements you will be able to trace every dollar from when the guest paid for their reservation to when it was deposited into your bank account. Contact your Surge sales rep for a personal walk through of our statement structure.
Can I still use my property?
Yes of course. The biggest perk of a vacation rental is still retaining personal use of the property for your personal use. Inside of our Owner’s Portal you can reserve days for personal use.
How do you market my property?

We list your property on the major platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Google Vacation rentals and more! We also allow direct bookings very popular among returning guests. Our integration technology is second to none and was awarded the following:

  • Airbnb Preferred + Software Partner
  • VRBO Elite Partner
  • Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner
How do you handle complaints or disputes?
We aim to resolve issues quickly and fairly, protecting both the guests and the property owner’s interests. We mediate disputes and ensure a smooth resolution process.
How do I get started with your service?
Contact us to schedule a consultation. We'll discuss your property, our services, and how we can help you achieve your rental goals.
How do you handle waste management?
We coordinate with local services to ensure proper waste disposal and recycling, maintaining cleanliness and environmental responsibility.
What safety measures do you implement?
We ensure the property has functional smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and complies with all local safety regulations.
What does Surge’s full service property management mean?
Surge's comprehensive property management service allows property owners to be completely hands-off with the daily operations of their Airbnb properties. Surge takes care of all the daily tasks, including listings, guest interactions, cleanings, restocking, and maintenance, ensuring a stress-free experience for the property owner.

Still have questions?

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Please chat to our friendly team.
Get in touch
(713) 853-9573