Property management in Delray Beach

A downtown on the avenue, and a turnover rule older than state law.

Delray Beach is built around Atlantic Avenue, which runs from the mainland downtown across the Intracoastal to the public beach. Around it are historic neighborhoods such as Pineapple Grove, Osceola Park and Lake Ida, waterfront streets like Seagate and Tropic Isle, and The Set, the beach area between the Intracoastal and the ocean. Farther west the city turns into newer subdivisions and large age-restricted communities.

That gives Delray a wide mix to manage: cottages and renovated homes near downtown, duplexes and small apartment buildings, Intracoastal condos and some large waterfront homes. Long-term demand comes from people who want to walk to the avenue, and winter brings seasonal tenants who return year after year. Close to the avenue, small cottages and duplexes often rent quickly; farther west, condos in age-restricted communities follow their own approval rules.

Short-term rules here come from zoning, not a permit. Since 2009, a unit that turns over more than six times a year is treated as a transient residential use, which is allowed in medium density residential zoning and not in single-family or planned residential districts. Because that rule predates the June 2011 state cutoff, it still stands; in April 2026 the city removed a stricter 2012 limit that state law had preempted. So whether a home can take frequent short stays depends on its zoning district, and we check it before any listing goes live. If frequent short stays are not allowed, a seasonal plan with fewer, longer stays usually is, and it is easier on the neighbors and the house.

Every short stay also needs a DBPR license and state and Palm Beach County tax accounts, with the county business tax receipt number shown on the listing. The combined tax on a stay of up to six months comes to 12.5%. A house in Lake Ida and a condo near the beach get the same treatment: one team working from Sunny Isles Beach, one owner app.