Rental Arbitrage in Seattle, WA
We have not published a sourced legal page for this city yet. Check the city's official short-term rental rules and your lease before relying on the numbers below.
- Average daily rate
- $190.80
- Occupancy
- 65%
- Annual revenue potential
- $36,600
How Much Rent Can a Unit Here Carry?
- Most rent that breaks even
- $3,226
- Rent that leaves a 20% margin
- $2,360
At the market's average rate and occupancy, a unit books about 19.8 nights and $4,330 a month. The ceiling assumes 3-night stays, an $85 cleaning fee against a $75 clean, a 3% platform fee and $480 a month for bills, insurance, supplies and software. Market averages include every listing size, so a one-bedroom usually earns less. Treat these as upper limits for a lease negotiation, not targets.
Run the Numbers for Seattle, WA
Pre-filled with the market's rate and occupancy, and a rent at the 20% margin ceiling. Replace the rent with the real asking rent of the unit you're considering.
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The Seattle, WA Market
Seattle's AirDNA market averaged a $190.80 daily rate at 65% occupancy over the last 12 months, about 19.8 booked nights and $4,300 of booking income a month.
The city's licensing rules close it to rental arbitrage. Operators can license at most two units, one of them their primary residence, and renters can't get an operator license except for a small group of downtown units that were operating before September 30, 2017. For a renter, furnished stays of 30 days or more are the realistic option, if the lease and building allow them.
Startup Costs
At a $2,350 rent, expect roughly $13,100 before the first booking: a one-month deposit, the first month's rent, about $7,500 of furnishing and $900 of setup. Add a cushion of a few months of costs. Work it out properly with the startup cost calculator.
Risks to Weigh
- Renters can't get an operator license
- At most two units per operator, one of them the operator's home
- State law requires $1 million of liability cover or a platform that provides it
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I Do Rental Arbitrage in Seattle?
- Not as a renter. Operator licenses go to owners, with an exception only for older downtown units operating before September 30, 2017.
- How Busy Is the Seattle Short-Term Rental Market?
- AirDNA's Seattle market averaged a $190.80 daily rate at 65% occupancy over the last 12 months, with annual revenue of about $36,600 for an average listing.
- How Many Units Can an Owner Run in Seattle?
- Two at most, and one of them must be the operator's primary residence.
- What Does a Seattle License Cost?
- $75 per unit a year for the operator license, plus a city business license.
- What Can a Renter Do Instead?
- Furnished stays of 30 days or more, if the lease and building allow them. The mid-term rental calculator compares that against a short-term estimate.