by Paris Achen | Apr 18, 2023 | Humans of Short-Term Rentals, Responsible Renting, Supporting Local Businesses, Sustainability
Vacation rental tech entrepreneur Vanessa de Souza Lage grew up with sustainable practices. Recycling and compost gardens were part of daily life at her school. As an adult, she gave up eating meat to reduce her impact on the environment. For most of her career, she...
by Paris Achen | Apr 12, 2023 | Community Engagement, Humans of Short-Term Rentals
The concept for the Alex & Annie Vacation Rental Podcast got its start in the middle of the Covid pandemic inside an exclusive Clubhouse group called STR Professionals. It was a time when vacation rental professionals and others were looking for ways to stay...
by Paris Achen | Apr 10, 2023 | Advocate Engagement, Leadership, Local Government, Local Leaders Series, Partner Features, Powered by Vrbo
Jennifer Batchelder Polcyn, a vacation rental host and property manager in Montcalm County in Central Michigan, knows the power of showing up before the firestorm. Soon after she established her vacation rental management firm, New Journey Properties, she made a...
by Paris Achen | Apr 4, 2023 | Advocate Engagement, Community Engagement, Hosting and Management, Humans of Short-Term Rentals, Local Government, Property Care, Rules and Regulations, Short-Term Rental Regulation
Like many in the short-term rental advocacy sphere, proposed regulations at the local City Council brought hosts Annette Grant and Sarah Karakaian together. Both had come to speak at the Columbus City Council meeting in spring 2018 to oppose a proposal that would have...
by Paris Achen | Apr 3, 2023 | Responsible Renting, Rules and Regulations, Taxes
Vacation rental taxes aren’t always straightforward, and as a responsible host, you’ll want to make sure you are in compliance with all local, state, and federal tax rules. Certain tax questions are common, so to make your tax season a little less taxing, we’ve...
by Paris Achen | Mar 24, 2023 | Hosting and Management, Property Care, Rules and Regulations, Safety
Google searches and questions in hospitality forums show that many hosts struggle to understand short-term rental insurance and what it covers. Here are answers to some of your frequently asked questions about vacation rental insurance and whether you need a separate...
by Paris Achen | Mar 17, 2023 | Hosting and Management, Property Care
Insurance is an essential part of owning a short-term rental, whether you rent out only part of your primary residence or have a portfolio of multiple vacation rental properties. Yet the vast majority of homeowners have inadequate insurance on their short-term rental....
by Paris Achen | Mar 13, 2023 | Back of House: Team Rent Responsibly, Humans of Short-Term Rentals
Feature photo: Lindsey Montoya (fourth from right) with team Rent Responsibly at a team retreat in Chicago in April 2022. In 2022, Rent Responsibly hosted 42 virtual events for members of the short-term rental community. Most of those events were educational webinars...
by Paris Achen | Mar 2, 2023 | Responsible Renting, Rules and Regulations
If you feel confused by your local vacation rental regulations, you are not alone. On top of different regulations in almost every town, the regulations of different jurisdictions in the same geographic area can overlap. If your state, county, city, and homeowners...
by Paris Achen | Feb 23, 2023 | Guest Communications, Hosting and Management
Glowing guest reviews are the lifeblood of any successful short-term rental and give validity to what we do as hosts. About 79% of consumers say they value online reviews as much as personal recommendations. But once in a while, we get a bad review. Whether or not...
