These days, having a side hustle or finding ways to earn extra passive income is the norm for people in Pennsylvania and across the country. You may have explored various avenues for adding a bit of extra cash to your monthly income without having to quit your regular job. Finally, you landed on short-term rentals.
Whether you have a room to rent out or an entire vacation home, offering short-term rental could allow you to generate a relatively passive income as long as you keep up with property maintenance as needed. Of course, if you hope to list your rental on Airbnb, you need to understand the company’s policies and the legal matters that can come along with this type of rental venture.
What does Airbnb expect from hosts?
Listing your rental through popular sites like Airbnb could allow potential tenants to find your property more easily. However, the company does have standards to which you as a host would need to adhere. In the event that you do not, you could face complaints from guests and face repercussions from Airbnb itself. Some standards that you would need to comply with include the following:
- Having a commitment to upholding reservations, ensuring guests have the proper check-in information and avoiding canceling reservations without extenuating circumstances
- Ensuring that the information provided in the listing is accurate, including the location, amenities, type of accommodation and more
- Cleaning the property to meet health and safety standards, after every guest turnover, and for general cleanliness
- Communicating well with guests to answer any questions and resolve any issues with the listing that may arise
Keeping up with these and other applicable standards as an Airbnb host may help you avoid problems with the site and your listing on it. Of course, more goes into short-term rental than just adhering to these company standards.
Legal aspects to consider
Short-term rental also has various legal aspects to take into consideration. You need to ensure that the area in which your property is located allows short-term rentals. You also need to consider ways to limit your liability in the event of an accident on the premises. While violating a host standard could result in removal of your listing from Airbnb or other similar repercussions, violations of the law regarding your short-term rental could have much greater consequences. As a result, you may want to understand your legal responsibilities before listing.
