A short-term rental is a furnished home rented to guests for less than 30 nights, usually through Airbnb, Vrbo or a direct booking site. The platform takes a fee from each booking (Airbnb's host-only fee is 15.5% for most hosts in 2026, and Vrbo moved hosts to a single 12% commission on October 29, 2026), the host or a manager handles guests, cleaning and upkeep, and the city decides whether the home may be rented at all. In Southern California the rules come first: many cities, including the City of Los Angeles, allow short stays only in the host's own primary residence, with a permit and hotel tax.
By the Villa Home Studios team · Updated
Stays shorter than 30 nights are short-term in California cities and usually carry hotel tax (14% in the City of Los Angeles).
Many Southern California cities allow short stays only in a host's primary residence, with a permit or registration.
Airbnb's host-only fee is 15.5% for most hosts; Vrbo charges hosts a single 12% commission from October 29, 2026.
A cleaning fee is added to each stay; the host pays the cleaner and restocks supplies.
Clean, inspect, restock and reset the home before the next check-in, often the same day.
Do it yourself, add a co-host for part of the work, or hand the whole home to a full-service manager.
A typical stay runs like this:
It depends entirely on the city. In the City of Los Angeles, stays under 30 nights are allowed only in your primary residence (where you live more than six months a year) with a Home-Sharing registration, up to 120 nights a year unless you qualify for Extended Home-Sharing. Burbank, Calabasas and Culver City don't allow them at all, while Malibu and Long Beach permit whole homes with a city permit.
Check your own city before you buy furniture or take a booking. Our city-by-city table for Los Angeles County lists permits, fees, night limits and hotel tax, and our Southern California guide covers Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Diego counties.
On a $1,000 stay (nightly rate plus cleaning fee) booked on Airbnb with the host-only fee in a city with 14% hotel tax, roughly:
| Item | Who pays it | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Stay subtotal (nights plus cleaning fee) | Guest | $1,000 |
| Hotel tax (City of Los Angeles, 14%) | Guest, collected and sent by Airbnb in the City of LA | $140 |
| Airbnb host-only fee (15.5%) | Host, taken from the payout | $155 |
| Payout to the host | Paid about a day after check-in | $845 |
| Cleaning, supplies, utilities, repairs, management | Host | Comes out of the $845 |
Self-managing is doable, but it is a part-time job:
A standard homeowners policy often excludes business use, so tell your insurer before you host and ask about a short-term rental or landlord policy. Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts includes host liability insurance and damage protection, but it is not a substitute for your own policy and has its own claim rules. Productions and direct guests should sign a written agreement.
Two different taxes apply. Hotel tax (Transient Occupancy Tax) is charged to guests by the city; Airbnb collects and sends it in the City of Los Angeles, but not every platform does it everywhere. Income tax applies to what you earn, and the IRS treats rentals with an average stay of seven days or less differently from long-term rentals. Rent your home for 14 days or fewer in a year and that income is generally not taxable. Ask your tax professional how this applies to you.
Self-managing keeps the most money if you live nearby and have time. A co-host takes on part of the work, usually messages or check-ins. A full-service manager runs everything, from pricing to repairs, and suits owners who live elsewhere or want the home cared for like a hotel. Compare what each one includes before you compare price.
Most California cities define a short-term rental as a stay of fewer than 30 consecutive nights. Those stays usually need a city permit or registration and carry hotel tax, and many cities, including the City of Los Angeles, allow them only in the host's primary residence.
Most hosts pay Airbnb's host-only service fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal (nightly rate plus cleaning and other fees, not taxes), deducted from the payout. Guests don't see a separate Airbnb service fee on those listings.
Vrbo moved hosts to a single 12% commission on October 29, 2026, replacing the old pay-per-booking fees of about 8%.
Airbnb usually releases the payout about 24 hours after the guest's scheduled check-in, then the bank takes a few days depending on the payout method.
Not for stays under 30 nights in the City of Los Angeles: Home-Sharing is limited to the host's primary residence. Some other cities, such as Malibu and Long Beach, allow whole homes with a permit, and stays of 30 nights or more fall under normal rental rules.
Usually yes. Many homeowners policies exclude business use, so ask your insurer about a short-term rental policy. Airbnb's AirCover for Hosts adds protection but doesn't replace your own policy.
Sources: Airbnb host-only fee as reported by Hostfully (September 28, 2026); Vrbo's 12% commission email to hosts as reported by Rental Scale-Up (September 30, 2026); City of Los Angeles Home-Sharing ordinance (planning.lacity.gov); IRS Publication 527 (residential rental property) and Topic 415. General information, not legal or tax advice.
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