Whether you are looking to add some extra cash into your budget to make ends meet or you want to supplement your holiday plans by renting out your home, short-term property management can pay off with some big rewards. Even if you just have an extra room, you could make more than $20,000 per year more just by renting it out. Before you get started, however, there are certain things of which you may need to be aware. These 5 short-term property management tips will help you make sure that you get the most out of your rental property.
Some jurisdictions require that short-term rentals charge a hotel tax. In short, your rental on a short-term basis may be illegal unless you get the authorization to run a hotel on your property. This may require rezoning and that’s a lot of hassle. Even home sharing isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be clear of the law and any profits you make are most definitely taxable at local rates.
Many short-term property managers check a Facebook page, look for a quick criminal history, and call the vetting process good. That could wind up setting a landlord up for a bad experience. You’ll want to make sure that security deposits are in place before handing over the keys, a credit check has been done, and other background information in checked – like offender registries that may not show up on a criminal record, like founded child abuse.
Your house rules must be posted somewhere on your short-term property to be valid. This generally goes beyond whatever lease terms that you may have. If you charge a smoking fee, then this fee must be posted on the property. You’ll also want to clearly communicate when people can check into your short-term rental and when they’ll need to leave so you don’t have an unpleasant surprise waiting for you.
This might be the trickiest thing of all for the short-term property manager. The right price is a balance between profitability and image. You don’t want to charge so little that people won’t stay because they think there’s something wrong with the home. You also don’t want to charge too much because you’ll become the option of last resort. Location, current market conditions, and even the seasons can all cause fluctuations in the price of rent that can be charged.
You won’t get many renters if no one really knows that you’ve got a short-term space to rent. Make your description comprehensive and consider having professionals take promotional images and create marketing content for you so that a clear picture can be received by a prospect. A short-term rental is highly profitable when managed correctly. Get started with these 5 tips and start pulling in the extra income you need today.