Buying a condotel along the Georgia coast gives you a place of your own to enjoy and, when you are away, a unit that many buildings allow you to make available for short stays. These hybrid condo-hotel properties sit outside the guidelines most banks follow, which is one reason a conventional lender will often decline them. At LendSure Home Loans, we built our condotel financing for exactly this kind of property, and we are glad to talk through your scenario before you make an offer so you know where you stand early.
This guide covers how our condotel program works in Georgia and what the local rules look like in the two coastal markets where most of these properties are found: Tybee Island near Savannah, and the Golden Isles of St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island.
What Makes a Condotel Different
A condotel is a property that combines individual condo ownership with hotel-style management and amenities. You hold title to a specific unit, your own use comes first, and the building’s management typically handles housekeeping, a front desk, pools, dining, and other services. When you are not using the unit, many condotel buildings offer an optional rental program so the space does not sit empty.
That hotel character is precisely what makes condotels hard to finance through traditional channels. Loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac generally will not touch a property with transient occupancy, a rental desk, or hotel-style operations. Because we lend outside those agency guidelines, we can look at the building and the borrower on their own terms rather than turning the file away at the first sign of a hotel front desk.
How Our Condotel Financing Works in Georgia
Our condotel program is available to buyers in Georgia, where LendSure Mortgage Corp. holds Georgia Mortgage Lender License #53316 and conducts business under the LendSure Home Loans trade name. The program is designed around personal-use ownership of a hybrid condo-hotel unit, with any rental staying optional and secondary to your own use of the property.
Here is how the core terms break down:
- Loan amounts up to $3,000,000
- Finance up to 75% of the purchase price
- Rate-and-term refinances up to 70% of value
- Cash-out refinances up to 65% of value
- Available for second homes and personal-use condotel purchases
Building eligibility matters as much as borrower qualification. To be financeable under our program, the condotel building must have no mandatory rental pooling requirement, no timeshare component, and each unit must include a full kitchen. We review the building’s documents early, because a condo-hotel’s lendability is often the make-or-break factor on these deals, and it is far better to confirm it before you are under contract.
Atlanta’s High-Rise Condo-Hotels
In Atlanta, the condo-hotel concept appears in mixed-use towers across Downtown, Midtown, and Buckhead, where individually owned residences share a building with a hotel operation and its front desk, valet, dining, and amenities. Buyers drawn to these properties tend to want a turnkey place in the city with hotel-grade service, plus the option to let the building’s management rent the unit during stretches when they are away.
The city’s short-term rental rules are worth understanding before you apply with us. The City of Atlanta adopted its short-term rental ordinance, 20-O-1656, in March 2021, with enforcement beginning in March 2023. That framework is built around home-sharing: an owner may license a primary residence plus one additional dwelling unit, must register the primary residence first, and must display the short-term rental license number on every listing. Stays of fewer than 30 days carry the City of Atlanta’s hotel-motel tax in addition to state sales tax.
One distinction matters most for a condo-hotel buyer. The residential licensing framework governs owners renting their own homes, while a true condo-hotel handles transient stays through the building’s own hotel operation. Your personal use of the unit comes first, and the rental side runs through professional management rather than a home-sharing permit. We confirm how a given building is structured as part of reviewing it for financing.
Tybee Island and the Savannah Coast
Tybee Island is Savannah’s beach, and its mix of oceanfront condos and small condo-hotel properties draws buyers who want a coastal place within easy reach of the city. If you intend to make your unit available for short stays when you are not using it, the island’s rules deserve a close read.
The City of Tybee Island first adopted a short-term vacation rental ordinance in 2016 and treats any stay of fewer than 30 days as a short-term rental. Owners who rent must hold a current permit and remit a 7% local occupational room tax to the city’s finance department by the 20th of each following month, with monthly returns required even when no tax is due.
Where your unit sits on the island is significant. Tybee no longer issues new short-term rental permits in its residential zoning districts, R-1, R-1-B, and R-2, which cover the majority of the island. Short-term rentals remain allowed in the commercial and residential-tourism (R-T) districts, which is where most condo-hotel and oceanfront condo inventory is concentrated. A 2024 ordinance also made existing permits non-transferable when a property changes hands, and as of mid-2026 the city’s planning commission is weighing a proposal to divide the island into four sectors with different rental caps, so the framework is still evolving. Occupancy is also capped at two adults per bedroom plus two additional adults per dwelling.
The practical takeaway for a condotel buyer is encouraging: because condo-hotel units typically fall in commercial or R-T areas rather than the restricted residential zones, they generally sit on the more flexible side of Tybee’s rules. We still recommend confirming the specific zoning and any building covenants for the unit you are considering.
The Golden Isles: St. Simons, Sea Island, and Jekyll Island
Two hours south of Savannah, the Golden Isles offer a different setting and a different rulebook. St. Simons Island and Sea Island fall under Glynn County, while Jekyll Island operates under its own state authority.
Glynn County issues short-term rental certificates under Chapter 2-31 of its Code of Ordinances, a framework the county describes as creating a level playing field for all rentals, whether hotels or individual homes, with uniform rules for noise, parking, trash, and accommodation taxes. Owners renting for periods of fewer than 30 consecutive days must obtain a certificate, and an occupation tax certificate applies to anyone renting six or more properties. For a condo-hotel buyer on St. Simons, this means the same rental rules that hotels already follow apply to your unit, which tends to make condotel use a natural fit within the county’s structure.
Jekyll Island works differently. The island uses a leasehold ownership model in which the State of Georgia leases the land while the Jekyll Island Authority collects rent and oversees development. Owners hold title to the structure and improvements, with current residential leases running anywhere from 2049 to 2088. Owners who wish to rent must secure a rental license from the Authority, report gross rental revenue, and remit a percentage rent in addition to standard lodging taxes. Glynn County’s rental ordinance does not apply to property on Jekyll Island.
That leasehold structure carries a financing wrinkle worth raising early. The remaining length of the land lease can affect loan structure and term, so the lease expiration date is one of the first details we look at on a Jekyll property. Bring it to us up front and we can tell you quickly how it fits.
Choosing a Condotel Building That Can Be Financed
Across all of these markets, the building’s own rules often decide whether a unit is financeable. Many coastal condo communities carry covenants and rental policy addenda that limit or structure how owners can use their units. Before you commit, ask the association for the full covenants, any rental restrictions, and any pending changes or enforcement activity.
This is also where our building eligibility standards line up with how you will actually use the property. A building cannot require owners to place units in a mandatory rental pool, which protects your ability to use the unit on your own schedule. The full-kitchen requirement and the no-timeshare rule similarly point toward true residential condo-hotel buildings rather than fractional or timeshare arrangements. If you are weighing a property that conventional lenders have already declined as a standard condo, our non-warrantable condo program may be the better path, and we can help you tell the difference.
If a condotel is the right fit, the next step is simple. Send us the building name and the unit details, and we will review the condo documents and your scenario together. You can start that conversation with our team whenever you are ready, whether you are early in your search or already eyeing a specific unit on Tybee or in the Golden Isles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a condotel, and how is it different from a regular condo?
A condotel is a condo unit inside a building that operates with hotel-style management and amenities, such as a front desk, housekeeping, and on-site dining. You own your unit and use it as you wish, and the hotel operation runs alongside that ownership. A regular condo has no hotel component, which is why standard condos qualify for conventional financing while condotels usually require a specialty lender.
Can I finance a condotel in Georgia if I plan to use it mostly myself?
Yes, and personal use is exactly how our condotel program is designed to be used. Your own enjoyment of the unit comes first, and any rental when you are away is optional and secondary. The financing does not depend on you renting the unit at all.
How much of a condotel purchase can I finance?
We finance up to 75% of the purchase price on a condotel, with loan amounts up to $3,000,000. Rate-and-term refinances go up to 70% of value and cash-out refinances up to 65%. The exact figure for your situation depends on the unit, the building, and your overall profile.
Do I need a license to rent my Tybee Island condotel when I am away?
Yes. The City of Tybee Island treats any stay of fewer than 30 days as a short-term rental, which requires a current permit and a 7% local occupational room tax remitted to the city each month. Because condo-hotel units generally sit in Tybee’s commercial or residential-tourism zones rather than the restricted residential districts, they typically remain eligible for rental permits, though we always suggest confirming the specific zoning before you buy.
How does Jekyll Island’s leasehold ownership affect my loan?
On Jekyll Island, you own the structure but lease the land from the Jekyll Island Authority, with current leases extending between 2049 and 2088. The remaining lease term can influence how a loan is structured, so we review the lease expiration date early in the process. Sharing that date with us up front lets us confirm fit quickly.
What makes a condotel building eligible for financing?
The building cannot require owners to place their units in a mandatory rental pool, cannot include a timeshare component, and each unit must have a full kitchen. We review the building’s governing documents before qualifying the unit, since a condo-hotel’s lendability often hinges on these details. Catching a disqualifying rule before you are under contract saves real time and money.
Can I refinance a condotel I already own in Georgia?
Yes. We offer rate-and-term refinances up to 70% of value and cash-out refinances up to 65% on eligible condotel properties. As with a purchase, the building must meet our eligibility standards, so we start by reviewing the condo documents alongside your goals for the refinance.
Equal Housing Lender. LendSure Home Loans is a registered trade name of LendSure Mortgage Corp. NMLS ID# 1326437 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Georgia Mortgage Lender License #53316. Some products and services may not be available in all states. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms, and conditions are subject to change without notice.
