Short answer
Managers who grow steadily mix referrals (current owners and real estate agents) with direct outreach to owners who just licensed a rental. Florida licenses about 1,000 new vacation rentals a month, and in September 2026, 89% of them were licensed in the owner's own name, not under a management company's license.
Start with owners who just got licensed
Florida requires a state license to rent out an entire home or condo more than three times a year for short stays, or to advertise it as regularly rented (how the licenses work). Owners usually apply right before their first bookings. That's the week they decide whether to handle guests, cleaners and pricing themselves or hand it to a manager.
In September 2026 the state approved 1,052 new vacation rental licenses. 937 were single licenses in the owner's name; 115 went under a manager's group or collective license. The busiest counties were Bay (128), Broward (114), Miami-Dade (92), Pinellas (92), Osceola (85). Every county is in the monthly license report.
What a new license tells you before you call:
- The owner's name. A person, a couple, or an LLC. If it's an LLC, look up the officer on Sunbiz before you call.
- House or condo. Condo owners deal with an association's rules; house owners deal with yards, pools and neighbors.
- The owner's mailing address, when it's different from the rental. If it's out of state, the owner can't be there when something breaks. In September, 11% of owner-held licenses had a mailing address outside Florida.
- Single or collective. A single license in the owner's name is the usual sign they applied themselves. A collective license means a manager already has it.
Where new owners come from
Most management companies grow from a handful of sources. Each reaches the owner at a different moment.
| Source | When you reach the owner | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| Your current owners | Anytime | Ask after a good season or a strong review. Owners know other owners, often in the same building or street. |
| Real estate agents who sell vacation homes | Before or just after closing | Give them something useful to hand a buyer, like a realistic first-year revenue estimate for the address. |
| Search | When an owner starts looking | A clear page for each town you serve, with your fee, what's included and real reviews. Owners search the town name plus “vacation rental management.” |
| New vacation rental licenses | Days after the owner applies | Call and mail every week. The owner is about to take their first bookings and is deciding how to run them. |
| Out-of-state owners | Anytime | County property appraiser records list each owner's mailing address. Owners who live far away feel every turnover problem first. |
| Buildings you already serve | When a unit sells or lists | Be the name the condo association and the neighbors already know. |
Referrals convert best but come slowly. Search takes months to build. New licenses are the one source that hands you a fresh set of owners every week, at the moment they're choosing.
What to say on the first call
Lead with the owner's situation, not your company. Something like:
“Hi Maria, this is Dan. I run a vacation rental management company here in Santa Rosa Beach. I saw your vacation rental license come through for the place on Seagrass Way, so congratulations. Are you planning to run the bookings yourself, or still deciding?”
If they're running it themselves, don't argue. Offer something useful: a revenue estimate for the address, your cleaning crew's turnover price, or a number to call when a guest problem hits at 11 p.m. Ask for a short walkthrough of the home, or permission to send the estimate.
No phone number? Send a one-page letter to the mailing address on the license: the rental's address, a realistic first-year revenue range, what you'd charge, and your direct line. Owners who live out of state open mail about their Florida property.
Timing and follow-up
- Call within a few days of the license. The first bookings are close, and nobody else has called yet.
- No answer: one voicemail, then a letter to the mailing address.
- Check back after the first month of hosting. Plenty of owners who planned to self-manage find the guest messages and turnovers harder than they expected.
- Note the license date. The end of the owner's first season is a natural time for a second conversation.
Stay inside the calling rules
Calls to new owners are cold calls. The federal TCPA, the National Do Not Call Registry and Florida's own telemarketing law (calling hours and limits on repeat calls) all apply. Our calling rules summary was written for insurance agents, but the same rules cover property managers. Scrub numbers against the Do Not Call list and keep a record.
What one signed home is worth
As an example: a home that books $45,000 in a year, at a 25% management fee, pays $11,250 a year in fees. Most managers keep a home for several years. Track what you spend to sign each new home, from mailers to lists to your time, and compare it with that number.
Where FiledToday fits
Each weekday, FiledToday sends one manager per county the new vacation rental licenses approved there: the owner's name, the rental's address, the owner's mailing address and a phone number for most. See open counties, or get a free sample of your county above.
Questions
How many vacation rentals are licensed in Florida each month?
About 1,000 a month since July 1, 2026. In September 2026 the state approved 1,052. Every county is in the monthly license report.
Which counties license the most new vacation rentals?
In September 2026: Bay (128), Broward (114), Miami-Dade (92), Pinellas (92), Osceola (85).
Do most new vacation rental owners already have a manager?
Not on paper. In September 2026, 89% of new licenses were single licenses in the owner's own name. Some of those owners still hire a manager later, which is why the first weeks after licensing matter.
When is the best time to contact a new vacation rental owner?
Within a few days of the license, before the first bookings. Then again after the first month of hosting, when the work of self-managing is real.
Can I call new owners from a license list?
Yes, as long as you follow the TCPA, the Do Not Call Registry and Florida's telemarketing law. See the calling rules summary.
A plain-English summary for property managers, not legal advice. Rules and fees change; check with the agency named before you rely on a detail.