Getting Started

My friend Gail and her husband bought a lovely home in the South of France.  Their plan was to spend several weeks a year there and then use it as a vacation rental. They love this beautiful home (who wouldn’t!) but they learned that second home rental is not always as easy as it might seem at first.

Gail’s Story

We bought a second home in the south of France on impulse.  It was old but completely redone and we had furniture so it seemed easy to set up a vacation home that could be rented when we were not there, which turned out to be most of the time. We are grandparents and have found we do not want to spend most of our time away from our family. [Read more…] about Ups & Downs of Second Home Rental

We’ve revised this post with new content.  Click here to see the updated version.

Unless we’re doing an exchange, we always rent our home when we travel for more than a week or so, and we usually firm up a rental agreement at least 4-6 weeks before we leave. But last year, we could find a tenant only for the first month of our two-month stay in New York. Panic! Anxiety! [Read more…] about What, No Tenant?!!

If you’re a short-term rental host, you’re likely to face the Pet Dilemma:  whether to let guests bring their pets.  Lots of people travel with their “very well-behaved” dogs (and sometimes, other pets).  These special animals would never sleep on the furniture or relieve themselves on the carpet, and they have only the softest bark so as not to disturb the neighbors. Right.

The issue of whether to allow pets in your short-term rental might be moot: you might have pet allergies, live in a building where pets are not allowed—or maybe you just don’t like animals. Otherwise, you’ll have to decide whether the risks are worth the benefit of making your home more attractive to a larger group of potential guests.

Consider these strategies to increase your confidence and avoid problems when you let guests bring their pets. [Read more…] about The Pet Dilemma: Allow Pets in Your Short-Term Rental?