Nomad Property Management manages vacation rentals in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island, including homes along Ali'i Drive. We handle listings, pricing, guests, cleaning and upkeep, and we handle each home's county permits and its Hawaii lodging tax filing. It's a market where the details matter, and where good care shows up in the reviews.
Hawaii County regulates short-term vacation rentals (stays under 30 days), and the State of Hawaii taxes them. Here's where things stand (checked October 29, 2026):
Hawaii County rules. Short-term vacation rentals are generally allowed in resort and certain commercial zones. Rentals in other zones may operate only with a nonconforming use certificate from the county Planning Department, which must be renewed every year. Sources: Hawaii County Planning Department short-term vacation rentals and the county's nonconforming use certificate renewal application.
State and county taxes. Guests in Kona pay three layers of tax:
Operators need state tax licenses and must file on schedule. For the homes we manage, Nomad files the state general excise tax and transient accommodations tax returns, and the Hawaii County transient accommodations tax, for owners.
Kona's busiest stretch is winter, when travelers from the mainland come for the sun and humpback whale season. Summer brings family trips and stays strong for homes near the water. Spring and fall are gentler, and longer stays are common year-round, so pricing by length of stay matters here as much as pricing by date.
We run the whole rental for you, so you can own a vacation home without a second job:
We're owner-operators, not a call center. We take on a small number of homes in each market and treat each one like it's our own.
We manage 6 homes in and around Kailua-Kona, including homes on Ali'i Drive.
Most of these homes are newer on Airbnb, so review counts are still small. The 4 with an Airbnb rating shown have 36 reviews between them and an average of 4.92 out of 5 (individual homes range from 4.71 to 5.0). Source: public Airbnb listing pages, checked October 29, 2026.
Our pricing depends on the home, so we share it with your free, no-obligation income projection. Tell us about your property at https://nomadequity.com/projection and you'll get the projection and our pricing for it together.
It depends on the zoning. Hawaii County generally allows short-term vacation rentals in resort and certain commercial zones. In other zones, a home may rent for stays under 30 days only if it holds a nonconforming use certificate, which must be renewed every year. Check your home's zoning and certificate status before you list it. We handle the certificate renewal and county paperwork for the homes we manage.
Guests pay an 11% state transient accommodations tax, a 3% Hawaii County transient accommodations tax and the 4.5% general excise tax (4% state plus the 0.5% county surcharge). The operator needs state tax licenses and must file on schedule. For the homes we manage, we file the general excise tax and transient accommodations tax returns, including the county tax, for you.
Yes, whether you're with another manager now or managing the home yourself. We plan the handover with you: listings, calendars and future bookings, cleaning and maintenance, and the permit and tax accounts tied to your home. Guests who have already booked should still get the stay they paid for.
It depends on the home: location, size, amenities, the permit it holds, and how many nights you keep for yourself. We don't quote a number until we've looked at your property. Request a free, no-obligation projection at https://nomadequity.com/projection and we'll send an estimate built for your home, along with our pricing for it.
Own a home in Kailua-Kona or along Ali'i Drive? Tell us about it and we'll build a free, no-obligation projection for your property, with our pricing and what Hawaii's taxes and the county's rules mean for it.
Request your free, no-obligation projection: nomadequity.com/projection
Nomad Property Management (Nomad Equity LLC) · 260 Newport Center Drive, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA 92660 · (530) 539-4271
Rules and tax rates last checked October 29, 2026. Local rules change often; always confirm with the city or county before you rent.