If you own a short-term rental on the Grand Strand and you’re worn out from back-to-back turnovers, last-minute cancellations, and rules that seem to change every year, you’re not alone. A lot of the owners who call us started right where you are: they love the property, they’re just tired of running a mini-hotel. This guide is for those owners weighing whether to convert your Myrtle Beach vacation rental to an annual rental — what you gain, what you give up, and the local rules to check before you decide.
We manage long-term (annual) rentals for a living, so we’re not neutral. But our job here is to help you make a clear-eyed decision, not to talk you into anything. Let’s walk through it the way we would on the phone.
Why owners are making the switch
Short-term rentals can produce great topline numbers, but the headline rate hides a lot of work and cost. Between cleaning fees, platform commissions, supplies, higher utilities, more frequent wear, and the constant scheduling, the net can be thinner than it looks — and it swings hard with the season and the economy.
An annual rental trades peak revenue for stability. Instead of 50 guest stays a year, you have one qualified tenant on a 12-month lease. That usually means:
- Predictable monthly income you can count on, not a calendar you have to fill.
- Far less turnover — one move-in and (ideally) one move-out a year instead of every few nights.
- Lower operating costs — the tenant pays their own utilities, and you’re not restocking coffee and toilet paper.
- Less exposure to shifting short-term-rental regulations, which we’ll get to in a second.
For out-of-state and second-home owners especially, the appeal is simple: you stop thinking about the property every week and start treating it like the investment it is.
The Myrtle Beach rule you need to check first
Here’s the part a lot of blog posts skip, and it matters. In January 2025, the City of Myrtle Beach adopted an ordinance that actually restricts converting short-term rentals to long-term in a specific area — a zoning overlay covering roughly 114 blocks east of Kings Highway toward the ocean, where the city wants to protect its visitor-accommodations and lodging-tax base.
Before you assume you can flip your property to an annual lease, confirm which side of that line it’s on. The good news for most owners we talk to: the restriction is narrow and comes with broad exemptions. Owners with an existing long-term rental license, properties already under a lease, individual condos used as a primary residence or second home, and owner-occupied single-family homes are generally treated differently — and properties outside that oceanfront overlay, including much of Horry and Georgetown County and towns like Conway, Surfside Beach, and Murrells Inlet, aren’t covered by the city ordinance at all.
Rules like this change, and your exact situation depends on your address, your zoning, and your HOA. So treat this as a “check before you leap,” not legal advice. We’re happy to help you find out where your property stands — and if you’re outside city limits, the calculus is usually much simpler.
What changes when you go annual
Converting isn’t just swapping guests for a tenant. A few things shift:
- How you market and price it. Annual rents are set monthly, based on comparable long-term listings, not nightly peak-season rates. We’ll pull real comps for your street.
- Screening matters more. With one tenant for a year, getting the right one is everything. Credit, income, rental history, and background checks do the heavy lifting a five-star review used to do.
- Furnishings. Most annual rentals go unfurnished, so you’ll decide whether to store, sell, or keep furniture (some owners keep a lightly furnished option for corporate or traveling-professional tenants).
- The lease and the law. Long-term tenancies fall under the South Carolina Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, which sets the ground rules for deposits, notice, and the eviction process. It’s very manageable — it’s just a different rulebook than a vacation platform’s.
Is it the right move for you?
Annual rentals aren’t automatically “better.” If your property sits in a premium oceanfront spot that commands top nightly rates and stays booked, short-term may still win on pure return. Where conversion tends to make the most sense is when the STR income has flattened, the turnover work has stopped being worth it, you’re managing from out of state, or you simply want the property to be a quiet, steady asset instead of a second job.
The takeaway: converting your vacation rental to an annual rental usually trades a little upside for a lot less stress and more predictable income — but the right answer depends on your specific property, your location relative to the city’s conversion rules, and how hands-on you want to be.
Let’s run your numbers
If you’re curious what your place would bring as an annual rental — and whether your address is even affected by the city’s conversion rule — we’ll take a look and tell you straight. Our free property evaluation gives you a realistic monthly rent range, a read on your zoning situation, and a clear picture of what we’d handle so you don’t have to. No pressure, and we actually pick up the phone.
This article is general information for Grand Strand rental owners, not legal or tax advice. Short-term-rental and landlord-tenant rules change and vary by address, zoning, and HOA — confirm the specifics for your property before you make the switch.