10 Best Clearwater Property Management Companies (2026 Fees and Rules)

Clearwater sits on the Gulf side of Pinellas County in Florida's Tampa Bay area, with a mainland city of about 117,000 residents, sunny weather most of the year and a strip of white sand backed by condo towers, resorts and hotels. It draws snowbirds from January to March, spring break crowds, summer families and a steady stream of weekend guests from Tampa and Orlando. That demand makes Clearwater property management a busy field, but it also hides the one rule that decides everything: in Clearwater's residential zoning districts, a home cannot be rented for less than 31 days or one calendar month. Nightly and weekly stays are only legal where the zoning and the building's approval allow them.

This guide compares ten companies that offer short-term rental and Clearwater property management services today, using only the fees and facts each company publishes on its own pages. It also covers the city's 31-day rule and how it is enforced, the 13% tax stack, what Surge market data says a rental here can earn, long-term leasing options for owners who cannot rent nightly, and the questions to ask before you sign with any property manager.

The best Clearwater property management companies for 2026

Each Clearwater property management company below manages vacation rentals, condos or homes in Clearwater or the neighboring towns. We last checked every company's own site in October 2026; check the update date above for changes.

• Surge: best for full service, transparent fees and written exit terms.
• iTrip Clearwater: best for a local office on Island Estates with a national booking engine.
• Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes: best for a small, owner-run local firm.
• Sunny Orange Stays: best for condo associations and resort buildings that want one rental program.
• Emperor Rentals: best for homes in several Tampa Bay towns.
• Breezy Keys: best for a Tampa Bay co-host and a custom quote.
• My Tampa Rental: best for a published 10% to 14% rate.
• Awning: best for investors who want a national firm with a published starting rate.
• Beenstay: best for hands-on owners who only want pricing, listing and guest support.
• Evolve: best if you will handle cleaning and want a low published rate.

The order is not a ranking of guest ratings. No public site publishes verified performance data for every manager, so treat this as a shortlist and request each company's owner agreement, a sample monthly statement and references from property owners in your building or on your street.

Quick answers on Clearwater property management

Can I rent my home nightly? Only if your property sits in a district and building where it is allowed. The Clearwater Community Development Code says a residential use on residentially zoned property "shall not include rentals for periods of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less." The Tourist (T) district on the barrier island is where resort dwellings can be offered for any term.

What do managers charge? Published rates run from Beenstay's 5% and 8% plans (owner handles more of the work), through Awning from 10%, My Tampa Rental at 10% to 14% and Evolve at 10% or 15% plus $250 onboarding. Surge starts at 15% for full service. Most local firms quote per property.

What can a rental earn? About $62,300 a year for a typical listing on the beach side, at a $325 average daily rate and 64.5% occupancy, and about $37,100 on the mainland at $190 a night, in Surge market data pulled in October 2026.

What taxes apply? 13% in total: 6% Florida sales tax, the 1% county surtax and the 6% county tourist development tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect the tourist tax for bookings on their platforms, per the Pinellas County Tax Collector.

What licenses do I need? A Florida vacation rental license from the DBPR Division of Hotels and Restaurants for transient rentals, a City of Clearwater residential rental business tax receipt, and a county tourist tax account unless a platform or manager files for you.

1. Surge

Surge offers short-term stay management across Texas and Florida. Our Clearwater property management services cover listing creation and optimization, professional photography, dynamic pricing and revenue management, guest communication and screening, cleaning and turnover coordination, maintenance, inspections and monthly owner statements. Our fee structure starts at 15% for full service, and we put every fee in the agreement, including what cleaning and maintenance cost and who pays for them.

We are honest about fit. Surge does not have a dedicated Clearwater office, and if you want a manager who can walk your unit every week from a desk on the island, one of the local firms below may suit you better. Where we help most is with clients who want tight reporting, pricing that follows the Pinellas season week by week, and a property manager who checks the zoning and the building's approval before a single booking is taken. See how we work on our Florida Airbnb management page, or run your address through our free rental analysis calculator.

Surge lists homes on its own Airbnb account, which is common among managers because it launches listings faster and keeps guest messaging in one place. Either model can work. What matters is that your agreement says in writing what happens to the listing, the reviews and future reservations if you part ways.

2. iTrip Clearwater

iTrip Clearwater is run by Pinellas Vacation Rentals LLC from 140 Island Way on Island Estates, between downtown and the beach. The office says it has run a full-service program for vacation rental homeowners since 2010, with condos from two and three bedrooms up to five-bedroom homes. Owners get an online portal with statements, bookings and calendars, plus the national iTrip booking site. It advertises competitive management fees but does not publish a rate, so ask for it in writing.

3. Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes

Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes is a small local company founded by Alan Agoado, who started in vacation rentals in 2009 and later took over the reservations side of the business, according to a profile published by its software vendor. A small firm with one decision maker can respond quickly when a guest calls at night about a lockout or a leak. Fees are not published, so ask for the full agreement and a sample owner statement.

4. Sunny Orange Stays

Sunny Orange Stays runs turnkey rental programs for condo associations, HOAs and boutique resorts on Florida's Gulf coast beaches, including two resort programs on the island. Its pitch is to the board: one local operator, one set of house rules for occupancy, parking, quiet hours, pool and pets, and one branded booking site. Owners opt in individually at no cost to the association. It is the natural fit if your building is already in, or wants to start, a single rental program. Fees are not published.

5. Emperor Rentals

Emperor Rentals is a Tampa Bay company with a dedicated Clearwater page covering mainland neighborhoods near US-19, the Intracoastal communities on Clearwater Harbor and the Memorial Causeway corridor. It lists dynamic pricing, photography, reservation screening, photo-verified cleaning checklists and regular property inspections. It does not publish a Clearwater rate. It is a reasonable call if you own several properties across Tampa Bay and want one firm for all of them.

6. Breezy Keys

Breezy Keys is a Tampa Bay co-hosting company that says it uses local staff with no offshore message handlers. For Clearwater it rewrites listings around beach access, parking and building amenities, and reprices units every two weeks against comparable units in the same building or block, not the whole barrier island. It does not publish a fee and builds a custom estimate per property.

7. My Tampa Rental

My Tampa Rental publishes management rates of 10% to 14% of revenue, based on the home, and says it manages short-term rentals in Tampa, St. Petersburg and other parts of Pinellas County. It handles daily pricing, billing and month-end payouts. Confirm it covers your exact address in Clearwater and ask whether cleaning and supplies are billed on top.

8. Awning

Awning is a national manager with a Clearwater Beach page that says full-service vacation rental management starts at 10% of revenue, depending on property type, location and services, with no cancellation fees. It suits investors who want one firm across several markets. Ask what the local cleaning and maintenance arrangement looks like, since national firms rely on local vendors.

9. Beenstay

Beenstay publishes two plans for Clearwater Beach: Standard at 5% of revenue (listing setup, 24/7 guest support, pricing, review management, compliance support, damage protection up to $1,500) and Premium at 8% (adds a dedicated performance manager, free photography and damage protection up to $3,000). Its fully hands-off 15% plan is only offered in Los Angeles and Seattle, so in Clearwater the owner keeps control of cleaning and on-site care.

10. Evolve

Evolve is a national company that handles marketing, pricing, bookings and guest support, while owners arrange cleaning and on-site care. It publishes 10% for its Core plan and 15% for Plus, with a $250 onboarding fee. It is the low-cost option for owners who live nearby or already have a reliable cleaner in town.

Clearwater property management fees compared

Here is how each Clearwater property management option prices its work, based only on what it publishes.

Company	Published fee	Model
Surge	Starting at 15% for full service	Full service, Texas and Florida
iTrip Clearwater	Not published	Local franchise since 2010, Island Estates
Clearwater Beach Vacation Homes	Not published	Local, owner-run since 2009
Sunny Orange Stays	Not published	Condo association and resort programs
Emperor Rentals	Not published	Tampa Bay regional
Breezy Keys	Custom quote	Tampa Bay co-host
My Tampa Rental	10% to 14% of revenue	Tampa Bay, full service
Awning	From 10% of revenue	National, full service
Beenstay	5% Standard / 8% Premium	Remote, owner handles cleaning
Evolve	10% Core / 15% Plus + $250 onboarding	National, owner handles cleaning

The percentage is only part of the cost. Ask every company whether the fee is charged on gross bookings or on revenue after cleaning fees and platform fees, who pays for linens, supplies and restocking, whether maintenance invoices carry a markup, and what it costs to leave. Our guide to Airbnb property management costs walks through the full math, and a 5% plan that leaves you paying for cleaning coordination and emergency visits can cost more than a 15% plan that covers them.

What Clearwater property management services include

Clearwater property management covers two very different jobs, and the best firms specialize in one of them. A vacation rental crew focuses on guests: listings, pricing, reviews, cleaning and fast replies. A long-term firm focuses on tenants: leasing, screening, rent and repairs. Before you compare fees, find out which job a firm actually does every day, how many years it has done it here, and whether it has the local knowledge to handle salt air, flood zones and hurricane season.

Full-service Clearwater property management for short stays should provide:

• Listing setup, photography and pricing that moves with spring break, snowbird season and events.
• Guest screening, messaging and a responsible local contact who can reach the property fast.
• Cleaning, linens, restocking and an inspection after every stay, so the unit is maintained to the standard guests expect.
• Tax filing where the platform does not collect, and a clear record of what was paid and when.
• Monthly statements, plus email or portal access to your calendar and income.

Clearwater property management for long-term rental properties should provide marketing, tenant screening, lease signing, rent collection, maintenance coordination, regular inspections and help with association or community rules. A good firm will protect the asset, serve the residents well and tell you plainly what it will not do.

Be careful with guarantees. Some managers advertise guarantees on rent, occupancy or income. Read the fine print on any of these guarantees before you sign, because most guarantees come with conditions on pricing control, minimum terms or what counts as revenue. A manager that has partnered with good local vendors for years and can show real statements is worth more than a promise.

Is Clearwater property management worth it?

For many people, yes, but not always. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, have time and know a reliable cleaner, self-managing a resort condo can save the fee. If you live out of state, a Clearwater property management firm is close to required: the city wants a local representative on file, guests expect replies within minutes, and storms do not wait. The right partner gives you peace of mind and frees your time, while the wrong one costs more than it earns.

Learn what each Clearwater property management option costs in real dollars before you decide. Ask two or three firms for a detailed information packet with the owner agreement, a sample statement and a revenue estimate for your exact address. Compare them side by side, then move forward with the one whose numbers and expectations you trust. Finally, put every promise in the contract.

The 31-day rule: where short-term rentals are allowed in Clearwater

This is the part most owners get wrong, and it matters more to Clearwater property management than which firm you pick. The city's code defines a residential use as a permanent place of residence and says it does not include rentals for less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, or a property advertised for those terms. That applies across the residential districts on the mainland and on the beach, including single family homes, townhomes and condo buildings approved as residential.

Shorter stays belong to what the code calls overnight accommodations, and the Tourist (T) district allows resort attached dwellings that can be offered for any term. Most of the hotels, resorts and resort-style condos on the beach and Sand Key sit in that district. But the zoning label alone does not settle it. In an August 2025 case before the city's Municipal Code Enforcement Board, a condo on Bayway Boulevard was found in violation even though the property is in the T district and the condo by-laws allowed seven-night stays. The city's attorney explained that the building was approved for residential use when it was built, and that the city's land-use rules are stricter than private condo documents, which the city does not enforce.

Enforcement is active. In that case the city asked for $150 per day for each day short-term rental activity was witnessed, and the board's standard orders allow up to $500 per day for a repeat violation. Before you buy or list, confirm three things:

1. The zoning district on the city's zoning and parcel map.
2. The development order for the building, which shows whether it was approved as residential or as overnight accommodations.
3. The condo or HOA rules, which can be stricter than the city's, never looser.

Florida law also matters here. Under Florida Statute 509.032, local governments cannot ban vacation rentals or regulate their duration or frequency with laws adopted after June 1, 2011, but rules already on the books before that date can stay. For the statewide picture, see our Florida short-term rental laws guide.

Clearwater property management and the local representative rule

Clearwater requires a residential rental business tax receipt for residential properties rented to tenants, and the city's business brochure tells owners who plan to rent short term to contact the department before listing to confirm eligibility. If the owner lives out of state, a local representative must be put on file, based in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee or Sarasota County. A Clearwater property manager can serve as that contact, which is one practical reason out-of-state owners hire one.

Rentals of less than 30 days, or rentals advertised as regularly rented to guests, also need a vacation rental license from the state DBPR. Our Florida vacation rental license guide covers the steps, and the Florida rental tax guide explains filing.

Taxes: the 13% Pinellas stack

Short stays in Clearwater carry 13% in taxes: 6% Florida sales tax, a 1% Pinellas County discretionary surtax and the 6% tourist development tax. Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit the tourist tax for bookings made on their platforms. Direct bookings, and any channel that does not collect, leave the filing with the owner or the manager, so ask each company who files what and how it is shown on your statement. Rentals longer than six months are generally exempt from these transient taxes, which is one reason many residential owners choose annual leases.

What a Clearwater property can earn

Surge market data pulled in October 2026 shows a wide gap between the beach and the mainland:

Area	Typical annual revenue	Average daily rate	Occupancy
Beach side (ZIP 33767)	$62,324	$325	64.5%
Clearwater mainland	$37,131	$190	63.6%
Belleair Beach	$63,612	$305	69.3%
Dunedin	$38,003	$202	63.6%

Treat these as market averages, not a forecast for your property. Much of the mainland is residential zoning where stays under 31 days are not allowed, so a mainland house often earns more as a monthly snowbird rental or an annual lease. Revenue also is not the same as profit: subtract the management fee, cleaning, supplies, utilities, insurance, HOA dues and taxes before you judge a deal. For a property-level view, try our Airbnb calculator or compare nearby markets in our list of the most profitable Airbnb cities in Florida.

Long-term Clearwater property management: leasing, tenants and residents

Because the 31-day rule covers most residential areas, many owners need long-term property management instead of a vacation rental team. A long-term Clearwater property management company handles marketing and leasing, tenant screening, lease paperwork, rent collection, maintenance requests, move-in and move-out inspections and the legal process if a tenant stops paying. Seasonal leases of one to six months are a middle path for snowbirds and traveling nurses, and they stay within the rule.

Published examples: ViVi Property Management lists placement-only, full management at 10% of rent, or a flat $299 per month, and handles screening, maintenance, rent collection, inspections and financial reporting. Expect a leasing fee when a new tenant is placed. Many local firms charge a share of the first month's rent and a smaller renewal fee, so get both in writing.

When you compare a long-term property manager, ask:

• How do you screen tenants (credit, income, rental history, background), and who makes the final call?
• What is the leasing fee and the lease renewal fee, and is there a fee when the unit sits vacant?
• Do you mark up maintenance, and what spending limit can you approve without me?
• How often do you inspect, and do I get photos?
• How do you work with the condo association board on move-in rules, parking and approval?

The best fit depends on property type. Apartments and condos in a managed community lean on the association for building upkeep, while single family homes put roof, pool, lawn and hurricane prep on the owner and the property manager. Ask what each team will maintain and what it will refer out.

Where rentals are located: Clearwater areas and what they mean for Clearwater property management

• The beach and Sand Key: Gulf coast beaches, Pier 60, the marina and most of the T district resorts. Highest nightly rates and the most competition. Confirm the building's approval before buying.
• Island Estates and the Memorial Causeway: waterfront homes and condos between the beach and downtown. Mostly residential zoning, so plan for monthly or annual rentals unless the building says otherwise.
• Downtown and the Cleveland Street district: condos near Coachman Park, the new waterfront, restaurants and the ferry to the beach. Strong for furnished monthly stays.
• Countryside and the US-19 corridor: single family homes and townhomes with pools near Countryside Mall and the Philadelphia Phillies spring training complex. Residential zoning; good long-term rental demand from families and residents.
• Belleair, Belleair Beach and Dunedin nearby: separate cities with their own rules. Read each city's code; do not assume Clearwater's rules carry over.

Owners comparing nearby towns can see our guides to the best managers in Indian Rocks Beach, Treasure Island, St. Pete Beach and Tampa.

How to choose a Clearwater property management company

Start with the rule, then the people. Good Clearwater property management starts with the law. A good property manager should ask for your address, zoning and building documents in the first conversation and tell you whether nightly, monthly or annual rentals fit. If a company is ready to list a residential-zoned home for weekend stays, walk away.

1. Match the model to the property. A T district resort condo suits a vacation rental team. A mainland home suits a long-term or seasonal leasing team.
2. Get the fee basis in writing. Gross or net, what counts as revenue, and every add-on.
3. Check local coverage. Who answers a 2 a.m. call, how fast someone can reach the property, and who prepares it before a hurricane.
4. Read the exit terms. Notice period, termination fees, and what happens to future bookings, the listing and the reviews.
5. Request references. Talk to property owners in your building or neighborhood, not only testimonials on the website.
6. Review a sample statement. You should be able to trace every dollar from booking to payout.

For more on what to look for, read our guide to hiring an Airbnb manager in Florida, or compare managers statewide in our list of the best Airbnb management companies in Florida.

Frequently asked questions

Is Airbnb legal in Clearwater?

Yes, but only in the right place. Rentals of less than 31 days or one calendar month are not allowed on residentially zoned property. Nightly stays are possible in the Tourist (T) district in buildings approved for overnight accommodations, which covers many resorts and resort-style condos on the island.

How much do Clearwater property management companies charge?

Published short-term rental rates range from 5% for remote, owner-assisted plans to about 15% for national full service, and many local firms quote per property. Long-term property management commonly runs around 10% of collected rent or a flat monthly fee, plus a leasing fee for each new tenant.

Do I need a local contact if I live out of state?

Yes. The city requires out-of-state owners of residential rentals to put a local representative on file who is based in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee or Sarasota County. A local property manager can fill that role.

Who collects the tourist tax?

Airbnb and Vrbo collect the 6% Pinellas tourist development tax on bookings made through their platforms. Direct bookings and other channels leave the filing with the owner or manager.

Should I choose short-term or long-term Clearwater property management?

Let the zoning decide first. If nightly stays are allowed, compare vacation rental revenue against costs. If not, a seasonal or annual lease with a long-term property manager is the legal path, and it often has lower costs and steadier income.

Looking for Clearwater property management? Contact Surge for a free rental analysis. We will tell you what the zoning allows, what the property can earn, and whether we or a local firm is the better fit.