The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Real Estate and Landlording => Topic started by: LiveLean on February 23, 2015, 06:24:25 PM
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We have a second home that's a weekly summer beach rental. It's available for 3- and 4-night stays in the preseason and postseason (i.e. April/May, October). It's in a quiet, non-commercial residential community and the management company, which manages hundreds of these properties, makes it abundantly clear in the rental agreement that rentals are for family groups only.
That said, the management co. will relay interest from non-family groups if someone is interested in your property. This beach community is popular for weddings and today we learned there's a group of four mid-20s people that want to rent our place for three nights in late April while attending a wedding.
I immediately cringed and wanted no part of it, but my wife says I'm overreacting. There are security deposits and post-stay inspections and, besides, families with a couple of toddlers figure to be tougher on a place than four hard-drinking twentysomethings (or however many they really bring to the house, which sleeps 10). My wife also pointed out that our home is booked solid weekly from early June to late September, so there are weekly groups of 8 to 10 rolling through and this shouldn't be any different. (This is our first full year renting the place after buying it in July, though my family owned a home there when I was growing up in the '70s and '80s and also rented it out.)
What do you think?
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As someone in her mid-twenties who rents from AirBnB, I'd say it's fairly judgmental to assume that four twenty-somethings are going to do anything disrespectful to your place. Sure, some twenty-somethings are immature and will damage a property: the same can be said for any age group of people. Honestly, it's not accurate to assume that they'll do any more damage or bring any more risk than any other group of strangers.
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Solid point....I can think of a lot of my fellow fortysomething friends I wouldn't want partying in there for a few days either.
With AirBnB, however, isn't the host/owner often there?
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As someone in her mid-twenties who rents from AirBnB, I'd say it's fairly judgmental to assume that four twenty-somethings are going to do anything disrespectful to your place. Sure, some twenty-somethings are immature and will damage a property: the same can be said for any age group of people. Honestly, it's not accurate to assume that they'll do any more damage or bring any more risk than any other group of strangers.
Agree with all of this. Discriminating due to family status is a gross thing to do, and is likely illegal under fair housing laws (although you may be exempt from those laws).
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I went ahead and told the rental management company to book the rental.
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If you are worried about people damaging your property, then you need to do something equally to everyone like credit check or criminal history. Discriminating against people who are single and young is not advised.
If the community was 55+ that would be a different story. However, I think it would be rare for a 55+ community to allow short-term rentals.
Good luck with your rental. I hope the mid 20's guests take care of the place and you will be less worried in the future.