Does anyone rent out a property on AirBnB or VRBO?

[pinkmomagain]

We are dipping our toes into renting out our beach house and have questions.

People ask to rent our property but they want to do it privately to avoid fees through VRBO. We are hesitant to do this as the websites offer protection to property owners. Is this a common practice? Renters finding listings on these websites and then wanting to negotiate offline?

Also, we are getting inquiries to come look at the property in person before hand. Is this common? We are hesitant to let strangers who have not made a commitment to rent (money down, etc) into the house.

Any feedback would be appreciated!

(And if there are any forums that discuss this kind of stuff, would love to know about them!)

[HannaAddict]

I would not do it privately nor would I let people come look to decide to rent. The viewing first is NOT normal or common. Send more photos if they want and you have time. And make sure your homeowners is covered for rentals as if it isn’t and something happens to the property or the renter you will be left out of luck and potentially life altering liability. Regular homeowners won’t cover you. I would have an umbrella policy too. Lots to worry about when you rent.


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[niccig]

If you know them, I could see doing it privately (eg friends or family) and not through VRBO, but strangers, say No and move to next person!! No showings, say No and move on. Have plenty of photos online.


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[pinkmomagain]

Thanks so much for your replies! We've never done this before but want to do it right.
Great idea about more photos if requested instead of coming to see the place. So many have requested to do so. Not sure why? People are looking to rent for a month or so, maybe that's why? We could probably do a video walk-thru too if requested.
Will definitely be getting insurance to protect ourselves.
Any other thoughts are welcome!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Be sure and look into the rules in your state for how long you can do a short term rental before it gets complicated. There have been stories where folks have rented for 30 days and that was a magical number where they lived that allowed them to become properly renters. To evict them became a whole problem because they could claim renters rights. I know one poster on here has had long term renters at her beach condo though so maybe the time lines and rules vary. Something to research. And run a search on the board for her posts, in case she misses your thread.
Just really flush out your listing vs email back and forth with specific people. You can’t have too many pictures or enough description, imo.


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[mom2binsd]

When you say people are asking, how do they know about the the property? No matter the length of stay, people make decisions on where to stay based on pictures and descriptions, it is not necessary to see it in person. Unless it's a good friend I would use a company, but still have a high damage deposit as friends can break stuff too.

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[pinkmomagain]

Thanks again for your thoughts. My DH listed on VRBO and Air BnB -- I believe. Maybe he needs more pics or description? Unless in my area it is more of a thing to look at the rental? (I mean most inquiries have asked to take a look or drive by????) It's not uncommon to rent in this area for a month or even several months (the season from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

[SnuggleBuggles]

There's a reason that Airbnb and such don't give out specific addresses until booking is complete. I would be hesitant to share the exact location with any anonymous potential renter. They don't need to know that perhaps the place is vacant or any number of other things I could guess at for why the systems keep that info private.

Do check on the renting obligations, tenant stuff...it might be common in your area but it's worth knowing if you are opening yourself up to problems.

[trales]

This is a vacation rental, not a a long term home to rent. We rent through VRBO and AirB&B for vacations a few times a year. We love lots of pictures. I would say NO showings ahead of time and no private rentals. If they don't like it, move on to the next person, there are lots of renters out there.

[mom2binsd]

Thanks again for your thoughts. My DH listed on VRBO and Air BnB -- I believe. Maybe he needs more pics or description? Unless in my area it is more of a thing to look at the rental? (I mean most inquiries have asked to take a look or drive by????) It's not uncommon to rent in this area for a month or even several months (the season from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

Yes, add lots of pictures, be very descriptive about size of beds, what type of extras like appliances, wifi, cable TV, outdoor extras like beach chairs, grill etc. Look at lots of good vrbo listings to get an idea of what to include. And do not give out the address, thosr type of renters who want all that info are going to be a pain anyway!!!

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