Seasonal rentals
Renting to J-1 students
in Myrtle Beach.
By Devin Day, Operations Officer & licensed MLO · Reviewed by Timmy Fredrick Nash, Broker-in-Charge · Updated September 3, 2026
Thousands of J-1 students staff every Myrtle Beach summer and need beds from May to September. What they pay, how the leases run, and the legal occupancy limit.
The demand
The season, in numbers
Myrtle Beach staffs its summer with J-1 exchange students, college students from abroad on summer work-and-travel visas. The city has hosted about 8,500 of them since 2018, working hotel, restaurant and attraction jobs in a town of about 35,000 residents that hosts about 17 million visitors a year. Every one of them needs a bed from roughly May through September, and there are not enough beds.
The shortage is public and measurable: a purpose-built international residence hall is under construction in the city, 624 beds in its first phase and 1,572 planned, because employers cannot fill jobs without housing. Private landlords supply the rest, and in our own observation of local rentals, J-1 tenants commonly pay $500 to $700 per person per month, several tenants to a home.
Per-person pricing is what makes the niche earn: a modest inland house rented by the person for the season can collect more per month than the same house on a yearly family lease. The number of people it may lawfully hold is the deciding figure, and it is covered two sections down.
The mechanics
How a J-1 student rental runs
Leases are per person, not per unit, and groups usually arrive formed: coworkers from the same employer or students placed by the same sponsor agency. The season runs May to September with the turnover arriving all at once in early fall. Homes rent furnished, with utilities included in the per-person price, and a working kitchen and laundry matter more than finishes.
Location is measured without a car. Most J-1 workers walk, bike or ride the bus, so a house near the Ocean Boulevard employers, or on a direct bus line, fills first. The routes and schedules are on our getting around page.
Collect deposits per person, name a local contact the tenants can reach, and photograph the house before the season. September is when you repaint.
The limit
The occupancy line you must not cross
The money in this niche tempts landlords to overfill houses, and overfilled J-1 houses are a known problem here, in the local news and at city hall. Occupancy limits come from the property maintenance code and are set by room sizes, not by how many beds fit. The city has been actively addressing overcrowding, which is part of why the purpose-built residence hall exists.
Before you model the rent, confirm the lawful occupancy of the exact unit; we do that with you before you offer. A legal eight-person setup that runs for years earns more than an illegal twenty-person setup that draws one inspection.
The risks
What can go wrong
The season ends. From October through April the house needs winter monthly renters or traveling workers, and that income is lower; model the year, not the summer. Wear is higher with more tenants, so budget cleaning and paint every fall. Neighbors notice a full house, which is one more reason to stay inside the lawful occupancy. New purpose-built beds are entering the market, and they will compete hardest at the crowded low end; a clean, legal, well-located house competes on quality instead.
A duplex, triplex or fourplex spreads the same model across several units in one building; supply and financing for those are on the small multifamily guide. To see what a specific address earns, run it through the rental analyzer and we will layer the per-person season on top.
Let us help with your next investment.
Send us an address you are looking at, or have us send you an investment property for sale. We will run the rent, the expenses and the association documents before you write an offer, at no cost.
Call 854.333.2135Common questions
J-1 rental FAQ
What is a J-1 student?
A J-1 student is a college student from another country working a summer job here on a work-and-travel exchange visa. Myrtle Beach hosts thousands of them: hotels, restaurants and attractions in a town of about 35,000 residents need summer staff for roughly 17 million visitors a year. They arrive in late spring, work through the season, and leave by early fall.
What do J-1 tenants pay in Myrtle Beach?
In our own observation of local rentals, commonly $500 to $700 per person per month, several tenants to a home, on per-person arrangements. Total rent depends on how many tenants the unit can lawfully hold, which is set by room sizes under the property maintenance code, so confirm the lawful occupancy of the exact unit before you model the income.
What months do J-1 students rent?
Roughly May through September, matching the summer work season. The turnover comes all at once in early fall, so plan the off season in advance: winter monthly renters and traveling workers are the usual fill from October through April.
Is it legal to rent one house to a large group?
Only up to the occupancy limit for that dwelling, which comes from the property maintenance code and is based on room sizes. Overfilled J-1 houses are a known problem here and draw inspections and fines. A rental that stays at its lawful occupancy earns steadily for years; check the number for the exact unit before you buy or sign anyone.
Sources: Post and Courier on J-1 housing, WMBF on overcrowding and the residence hall, CSG on the residence hall. Per-person rents are our own observation of local rentals. Occupancy limits are set by the adopted property maintenance code; confirm the number for a specific dwelling with the local building department.