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How we grade communities for short-term rentals
The STR suitability grade measures how well a community supports running a short-term rental. It does not predict what a home will earn. Earnings depend mostly on the property's concept and how well it's run.
The six criteria
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5, using only the sourced facts on the community's page. The weighted average becomes the letter grade.
| Criterion | Weight | A 5 means | A 1 means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory certainty | 25% | On the county STR list; HOA permits STR by right; no history of restriction changes | Zoning unclear or prohibited; HOA restricts; rules have changed recently |
| HOA rental friendliness | 15% | No minimum stay beyond platform norms; simple guest access; light registration | Long minimum stays, rental caps, heavy registration or guest friction |
| Cost burden | 15% | All-in HOA, club, and CDD low relative to peer resort communities | All-in carrying cost among the highest of peers |
| Guest draw | 15% | Resort amenities guests actively search for: water park, lazy river, dining, golf | Few or no shared amenities |
| Location | 15% | Under about 15 minutes to the main Disney parks with easy highway access | 30+ minutes to the parks, congested access |
| Competition & differentiation | 15% | Few comparable listings; room to stand out | Hundreds of near-identical listings competing on price |
Letter grades
| Grade | Weighted score |
|---|---|
| A | 4.25 and up |
| B | 3.50 to 4.24 |
| C | 2.75 to 3.49 |
| D | 2.00 to 2.74 |
| F | Below 2.00 |
Why regulatory certainty counts most
Every other strength is worthless if you can't legally rent the home nightly, or if the HOA changes the rules after you buy. It's also the one problem you can't fix with better photos, a better concept, or a better manager.
What the grade isn't
It isn't a ranking of the homes, and a lower grade doesn't mean a home there can't do well. A strong concept in a C community can outperform a generic listing in an A community. The grade tells you how much the community helps or works against you.
Grades are Cohost Paul's assessment and are reviewed when the underlying facts change. Every community page shows its individual scores and the reason for each.