Your Airbnb/VRBO at Disney World Just Got More Expensive/Complicated

Traveling to Walt Disney World with a large group can be complicated. Simply figuring out a way just to organize everyone would need a full-time planner.

However, the primary consideration is where to stay. Disney World has very few rooms that can cater to the needs of large groups.

Related: New Hotel And Restaurant Complex Coming to Disney Springs Area

You could rent out a two-bedroom suite at one of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts, but that will cost you an arm and a leg. There is always the option of renting a block of rooms, but that also comes with a considerable expense.

Another option is to rent a house near Disney World on Airbnb or VRBO. For large groups, this is the best possible option. You remain close to the action, but everyone in your party gets their own space at the end of a long day at the theme parks.

However, during this legislative session, the Florida Legislature made booking and staying at a vacation rental near Disney World more expensive and complicated. State Bill 280 takes away some local control over rental properties and puts it in the hands of the state, making changes to what was a relatively straightforward process.

The bill requires vacation rental owners or property management to register the vacation home for a “reasonable fee.” If the rental property violates a local ordinance, that registration can be suspended for up to 60 days or 90 days after the first violation.

This complicates your rental property near the Walt Disney World Resort in two ways. First is the obvious: the owner or property management of the vacation rental will pass that “reasonable fee” onto whoever rents that property. Thus, raising the price you will be paying for a vacation home near Disney World.

The second is a little more subtle. If the rental property you were supposed to use for your Disney World vacation has violated local ordinances, it can be taken off the market without notice. So, if the previous guests threw a party, the Orlando vacation home would be shut down for 60 days.

You would be able to get your money back through Airbnb or VRBO, but you wouldn’t have that short-term rental for your trip.

The bill also requires vacation rental owners to comply with a new maximum occupancy rule. The rule says that only two people are allowed per bedroom and two additional people for a common area.

This bill was contentious from the start. Many small Florida beach towns feared that the state was removing their right to regulate vacation rental properties.

However, many large beach cities wanted these regulations to cut down on “party houses” in their cities. In the end, the cities won out over the small towns.

For those heading to the Walt Disney World Resort, which is already expensive, this adds another layer of expense and creates one more thing for guests to worry about.

What do you think of this new Florida law? Let us know in the comments.