Questions about seasonal renting

[Abby10]

What have you found to be the most effective methods for screening applicants for seasonal rentals? Also, how do you manage cleaning between tenants if you are not there to do it yourself? Is there someone reliable who does cleaning on an "as needed" basis versus a regularly scheduled basis? As of right now, we have not hired a home watch service because we are fortunate enough to have several relatives who oversee our property when we are not there. However if we do decide to rent out, I'm wondering if home watch may end up being the way to go.

We are not new to dealing with rental properties, but we are new to the idea of seasonal rental. Is there much concern about damage to the property in seasonal renting in TV like there is in long term rentals or seasonal rentals elsewhere?

Your experience and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[peteg]

What have you found to be the most effective methods for screening applicants for seasonal rentals? Also, how do you manage cleaning between tenants if you are not there to do it yourself? Is there someone reliable who does cleaning on an "as needed" basis versus a regularly scheduled basis? As of right now, we have not hired a home watch service because we are fortunate enough to have several relatives who oversee our property when we are not there. However if we do decide to rent out, I'm wondering if home watch may end up being the way to go.

We are not new to dealing with rental properties, but we are new to the idea of seasonal rental. Is there much concern about damage to the property in seasonal renting in TV like there is in long term rentals or seasonal rentals elsewhere?

Your experience and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

I may be lucky but I do not screen applicants for seasonal renting but do ask a $500 deposit to cover any damage which in 4 seasons has not happened. We use a home watch service who also act as caretakers when home is rented and they look after guests questions/concerns and arrange cleaning between guests. We aim for a 3month rental in peak season plus the other month as the second rental - we do not rent less than 4 weeks
Our 2 bed home is let for 2 adults with no children or pets
We have recently changed providers and now use the services suggested on the villages4rent site - so far all is excellent
:bigbow:

[Sable99]

I may be lucky but I do not screen applicants for seasonal renting but do ask a $500 deposit to cover any damage which in 4 seasons has not happened. We use a home watch service who also act as caretakers when home is rented and they look after guests questions/concerns and arrange cleaning between guests. We aim for a 3month rental in peak season plus the other month as the second rental - we do not rent less than 4 weeks
Our 2 bed home is let for 2 adults with no children or pets
We have recently changed providers and now use the services suggested on the villages4rent site - so far all is excellent
:bigbow:

Yikes! I couldn't rent from you as we only go to TV for two weeks at a time -- usually in May and November. So, its not in peak season. Most rentals do not allow cats and I won't leave my two cats home for more than two weeks at a time. They have a great pet sitter but I know they still get lonely.

I rent out my own home in a long-term rental program so we have to rent when we go to TV. I rent out our home through JD&V Property Management and rent from them when we go to TV. Luckily, they will let Mom and I rent for two weeks!

[OBXNana]

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!

[dalecrenshaw]

We went through 4 Property Managers and finally decided it was easier to do it ourselves, long distance from California. I have managed it myself for 4 years now, without any problems that I encountered with the Property Managers. None of the Property Managers screened the tenants...if someone called that wanted to rent in the Villages, they made the reservation without doing credit checks or background checks. Twice, they put in a tenant that was a disaster and it cost us of a lot of money, so having a Property Manager doesn't assure you of anything.

I found, if I google the potential tenant's name, I get a lot of information about them. I also have them fill out a Tenant information form...Name, Address, Phone, Cell Phone, email address, employment or if retired, then former employment & how long, if they own their own home or rent & for how long; make, year, and license plate of car; Driver's license numbers (especially if they are going to use the golf cart).

We ask for a $500 Reservation/Security/Damage deposit to be returned if no damage within 14 days of their departure. Our cleaning people let us know if anything is damage, broken or missing. If the tenant cancels their reservation, then we have the right to deduct any costs we incur from the Reservation fee to find a new tenant.

I send the tenant a detailed information sheet about the property...where to find the circuit breaker, how to turn on the A/C, etc etc etc Anything pertinent to the property. And, I tell them to call us if they have any questions about anything.

I send the keys to the tenant about 2 weeks before occupancy. I bought a lock-box at Lowe's and put the keys to the house in the lock-box for the tenant, in case they leave the keys home or for any reason they are locked out. I don't tell the tenant that there is a lock-box unless they are locked out and need to get in. Then I give them the combination. You can then change the combination.

If you let them use your golf cart, it necessary to talk to your insurance company about letting a tenant use it. Some insurance will not cover a tenant, while others will. If you let the tenant use the golf cart, I would have them sign a detailed golf cart hold harmless indemnity statement, along with detailed golf cart instructions and safety advice. There is also a website that shows the golf cart paths within the Villages, that I would direct them to. Everyone says that a golf cart indemnity statement won't hold up, but it is better than nothing. If nothing else, it will make them more careful.

We rent by the month only. It is easy to find "one tenant" for all of Jan/Feb/March as a package. A little more difficult to find a tenant for the shoulder months of Nov/Dec or April.

[redwitch]

There are companies that do just cleaning and will clean your home between renters. I believe Luke's and possibly Hometown Cleaning Services will do this. Your relatives would still have to check between renters to make sure everything is okay and nothing is missing. also, they'd have to be willing to be on call 24/7 in case something went wrong. Another thing to consider is that if something goes wrong even when unoccupied, your insurance company will hold whomever agreed to take care of your house responsible or refuse to cover you because you were not duly diligent.

[LianaB]

Both insurance and taxes are different for seasonal rentals as well.

[dalecrenshaw]

Yes, you need rental insurance and you need to register with the State and the county that the rental is in....and pay them sale's tax for any rentals that are less than 6 months. Long term rental over six months do not pay sale's tax. If the rental is in Lake County, the total sale's tax is 11% - 7% to the State and 4% to Lake County. Failure to do so, will invite a big fine, plus back taxes.

[helen lovely]

The Villages is no longer a community for 55+ to relax & enjoy social activities. It has become the SENIOR Disney or SOUTH BEACH. Not exactly what most NORMAL retirees are looking for to spend their GOLDEN years. Im exclusive community it is forbidden to rent your home or other owned or rent-to-rent as you find there.

[dalecrenshaw]

The Villages is no longer a community for 55+ to relax & enjoy social activities. It has become the SENIOR Disney or SOUTH BEACH. Not exactly what most NORMAL retirees are looking for to spend their GOLDEN years. Im exclusive community it is forbidden to rent your home or other owned or rent-to-rent as you find there.

I think the Villages is a wonderful place to either visit or retire to. Just because you rent out your house, does not mean it is not a nice community or a nice retirement area. We our bi-coastal due to our children living in California, but we want to also enjoy and live in the Villages part of the time. In most any town or community in the country, you are allowed to rent out your house. Here in the Villages, a lot of owners rent out their house during the high season to very lovely people who spend a lot of money to spend some time here in the Villages...they are not transients. If you are looking for an exclusive community, you should probably be looking in Hilton Head, Bel-Air, or the Hamptons, or some other not so friendly place. I don't see the point you are making.

[OBXNana]

The Villages is no longer a community for 55+ to relax & enjoy social activities. It has become the SENIOR Disney or SOUTH BEACH. Not exactly what most NORMAL retirees are looking for to spend their GOLDEN years. Im exclusive community it is forbidden to rent your home or other owned or rent-to-rent as you find there.

The original post was asking for guidance and not opinions on the renting of their property.

Possibly, starting a new thread to discuss the benefits of an "exclusive community" would be of more interest to those that share or disagree with this concept.

[slipcovers]

The Villages is no longer a community for 55+ to relax & enjoy social activities. It has become the SENIOR Disney or SOUTH BEACH. Not exactly what most NORMAL retirees are looking for to spend their GOLDEN years. Im exclusive community it is forbidden to rent your home or other owned or rent-to-rent as you find there.

I see you own a designer, golf front home in Bonnybrooke that you rent out long term. Just curious if your tenant is NORMAL?

[Abby10]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Lots of helpful info which is greatly appreciated. When we bought our Villages home, we had no plans to rent it out, but due to unforeseen circumstances we may not be able to relocate now for another 2 years. As a result, we are considering this. Having had rental properties in other areas over the past 30 years, we try to be good landlords to both our tenants and the surrounding neighbors. Part of the intent of my post was to try to use due diligence in who we rent to, both for our welfare and the welfare of our neighborhood. I know that seasonal rentals in TV often attract lovely, kind folks often wanting to try out the lifestyle for themselves. We can only hope that they treat our home with the same care that we did when we rented in TV ourselves.

I know that some have an aversion to renters, but lucky for us when we rented in TV we did not run into anyone like that. To the contrary, we were welcomed by most with open arms to become villagers ourselves. You can see how that worked out - :)

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!