We prefer month rentals, but will do less during the summer. We started renting ours at the end of March 2014 and other than a cancel in Sept., is rented through May 2015. We depend heavily on our home watch to check between guests for damage and to clean. They are also available 24/7 if someone can't use the remote or the thermostat. We're in PA and can walk the guests through some of their issues and others need a human to help them.
We love our rescues and foster dogs, but do not allow pets. We've had rental property for 15 years in another area and in less than 3 months a brand new couch was destroyed by dog urine. In addition, there was a table corner chewed, and scratches on the new doors that needed more than a touch up of paint. We also found when we became pet free, our rentals increased. We found many people don't want to rent a house that allows pets. With that said, when we travel we rent pet friendly houses.
We also make sure there is no smoking. Even with this rule, in another property we checked on last week, there were cigarette burn marks on the vinyl fence and hot tub lid. It's the chance you take when you rent a property.
We have a detailed contract that clearly spells out what is and is not permitted. So far, our property in The Villages has been well taken care of. Yes, there are some stains on the brand new carpet, a few glasses broken, and a tray missing, but what we classify as normal wear and tear.
Our home watch cleans between guests, puts out their welcome bag, and contacts us if the entire security deposit should be returned. They do not advertise, collect rent/taxes, or screen the guests. I don't know how to screen a guest, other than go by what you feel. So far, my contact through email and phone calls have not given me a feeling someone is not suitable to have as a guest in our house. There are management company's that will do the advertising, collecting of rent, and clean. The cost, in our opinion, was something we felt we didn't want to pay and decided to manage ourselves. If you are unsure, you could use a management company for peace of mind.
Seasonal rentals are much different than long term rentals. Long term rentals, overall, are not on a 12 month vacation. Week long rentals are more prone to be using your home fairly hard during their tenancy. Don't put special, one of a kind items in your rental, because they may get broken. Keep in mind it's a business and not personal. This took me several years to grasp the concept!
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