MIAMI-DADE
Renting in
Fisher Island
Fisher Island is reached only by ferry and runs more like a private club than a neighborhood. Renting here involves a layer no other Miami address has, and it is worth understanding before you start looking.
What renting in Fisher Island is actually like
A 216 acre island off the southern tip of Miami Beach, with no bridge. You arrive by ferry from MacArthur Causeway, and so does everything else, including your groceries and your guests.
The residential stock runs from the original Vanderbilt-era buildings through Bayside and Seaside Village to the newer Palazzo del Sol and Palazzo della Luna. The newer buildings are larger, more contemporary and sit at the top of the market.
What you are really renting is privacy on a private island. The ferry is as much the point as the amenities are: it means the people here are residents and their guests, and nobody else. Nothing else in Miami is structured that way.
Six months is the floor
Almost every building in Fisher Island carries a minimum lease of six months, and the city separately restricts rentals shorter than six months and a day across much of Miami Beach. Those are two different rules and the building’s own rule is usually the one that binds.
If you want a few weeks, you want a hotel. No amount of searching produces a one month rental in most of these buildings.
A short list of Miami Beach buildings does permit shorter stays. That list is here.
Season or annual
Strongly seasonal. A large share of owners are elsewhere for much of the year, which is what creates the rental market in the first place.
Winter inventory is committed early and the best units rarely reach a public listing. If you want January through April, the conversation starts in summer.
What people get wrong
Renting into a building with amenities under construction
This is the one nobody thinks to ask about. You sign a year for the pool, the gym and the service, then find the building is mid-project and all of it is closed for eight months of your lease. Plenty of buildings are doing structural and amenity work right now. Ask what is under way and when it finishes, in writing, before you sign.
Treating club access as automatic
Access to the island’s facilities is tied to club membership, and the terms depend on the building and the owner’s arrangement. Confirm exactly what your tenancy includes before you sign, because this is the single biggest source of surprise here. Current membership fees are available on request.
Underestimating approval
Expect a longer and more thorough process than a mainland building, and build that into your timing.
Forgetting the ferry shapes the day
It runs frequently and it works, but every trip off the island has a schedule attached. People who are in and out constantly feel it more than they expect.
What it costs you to use me
Nothing. In most Miami rentals the landlord pays the agent, and I only share listings where that is the case. Nothing I send you carries a fee to you, and you do not need to ask about it or check for it. More on how that works.
Common questions
What does club membership cost on Fisher Island?
Current membership fees are available on request. Access to the island’s facilities is tied to membership and the terms depend on the building and the owner’s arrangement, so confirm exactly what your tenancy includes before you sign.
How do you get to Fisher Island?
By ferry from MacArthur Causeway. There is no bridge, and the ferry carries residents, their guests and their vehicles.
Can you rent on Fisher Island short term?
Not usually. The six-month minimum applies here as elsewhere, and the market is mainly seasonal rather than short stay.
Is there a minimum lease?
Almost always six months. Miami Beach restricts rentals shorter than six months and a day across much of the city, and most condo associations set their own minimum on top of that. The building’s rule is usually the one that binds.
Are there hidden fees when renting a unit in Miami?
There should not be. In most Miami rentals the landlord pays the agent, and I only share listings where that is the case, so nothing I send you carries a fee to you. Separately, expect an association application fee, which is normal and paid to the building rather than to an agent.
How long does association approval take?
Anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the building. Build it into your timing rather than assuming you can move in the week you sign.
Can I rent furnished?
Often yes, particularly on seasonal terms. Short-term inventory here is usually turnkey. For annual leases it varies by unit, so say up front if furnished matters.
Current Fisher Island rentals
About Jack
Jack Mintz is a real estate agent with Compass, based at 1212 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. He works across Miami Beach, Brickell, Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, Bal Harbour and Edgewater.
Most of what he does early with a renter is work out what is actually available and what is not, which saves more time than touring does.
Looking in Fisher Island?
Tell me the timing, the budget and whether you need furnished. I will tell you what is realistic and what is not.
Fisher Island condos for sale · Renting in Miami · Short-term rentals